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water conservation or rationing. The statewide drought declaration is the first since 1991, when Gov. Pete Wilson acted in the fifth year of a drought that lasted into 1992. ** BUILDING FOOTPRINTS Today’s interesting statistic… buildings account for 29 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions, according to Andy Ehrlich, senior vice president of B&D Consulting, a national advisory and advocacy firm. ** UPGRADE YOUR BUILDINGS + GET A REBATE Southern California property owners (and property managers) of existing residential multifamily complexes with two or more dwelling units may qualify for rebates from Southern California Gas Company (Sempra). The rebates are for upgrades such as high-efficiency dishwashers, attic insulation, wall insulation, and natural gas storage water heaters. Rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis until December 31, or until funds are depleted. To qualify, energy-efficient products must have been purchased and installed on or after January 1, 2006, and applications postmarked by December 31, 2008. The amount and availability of rebates may change during the year. Contact the Multifamily Rebate Program Info Line Program at (800) 427-4400. ** GREEN YOUR BUILDINGS WITHOUT DEBT BOMA - The Building Owners and Managers Association International- has unveiled a standardized contract that allows building owners to reduce energy costs via retrofitting their buildings and at the same time finance those retrofits without placing additional debt on their buildings. The model contract, developed by BOMA in cooperation with the Clinton Climate Initiative, is an agreement between an energy service provider and a building owner in which the energy service provider guarantees to save the building owner a certain amount of money on energy costs each year by retrofitting a building. In return, the building owner agrees to pay the energy services provider out of the savings realized through the retrofit. The new BOMA-CCI model energy performance contract is designed to overcome those obstacles by providing a standardized contract that addresses all of the legal and technical issues involved in negotiating such a deal, and it also provides a blueprint for financing the contract via a lease between the building owner and the energy services provider. Henry Chamberlain, president and CEO of BOMA stated the association’s objective was to create “a turn-key program and a simplified contract” for building owners. Get all the details @ http://www.globest.com/news/1185_1185/denver/171797-1.html ** 5 ACTIONS TO GREEN YOUR BUSINESSby Susy Borlido Holyhead Account Director, BGP As Business Greening Program Director, I always get asked the question “What are the top five actions I can do to green my business?” Well, my advice is to always go for the lowest hanging fruit that will give you the biggest ‘bang for buck’ in terms of cost and/or resource saving. So, from my six years of experience doing my job, here are my top five: 1. TURN IT OFF. Use Natural Daylight via windows/skylights when available. Turn off equipment, lights, appliances etc. when not in use. Set lights on timers to turn ‘ON/ OFF’ via business hours or implement an ‘opening and closing’ policy company-wide. 2. Implement a companywide environmentally-friendly purchasing policy that ranges from office products to janitorial supplies. Ensure that all paper products are chlorine-free and contain 30-100% post-consumer content recycled materials. 3. Use green, less toxic cleaning chemicals. A great resource for this is www.greenseal.org. They list cleaning chemicals that are green certified by a 3rd party non-profit group. You can find effective green cleaning chemicals. 4. REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE. Stocking employee kitchens with reusable dishes, mugs and silverware can save thousands of dollars a year! When you compare the costs of continuously having to stock disposables - and then hauling the trash away - to purchasing one set of reusables, the answer is obvious. Purchase condiments like sugar and cream in bulk. You can divert over 80% of trash by composting your food waste and recycling cans, plastic, glass, mixed paper. Hauling recyclables costs less than hauling trash. 5. Dispose of electronic and hazardous waste properly. It’s a California state law that these items must not end up in the trash. Electronic waste includes unwanted computer equipment, cell phones and anything with a plug. Hazardous waste includes batteries, fluorescent lights and paints. Contact your local City Waste Division for more details and for disposal procedures - for Los Angeles area, you can drop off electronic items for free at www.californiarecycles.com. ** Computer Use California and the Nation
Fewer Latinos Have Computers, Web Access at Home
What Are Californians Doing Online?
Who’s Texting? Nearly six in 10 use their cell phones to send or receive text messages, and younger residents (87%) are the most likely to do so. They are also most likely to use their cell phones for email or to access the Internet. Overall, one in four Californians uses cell phones for email (26%) or to go online (25%). All the info can be had at @ http://www.ppic.org/main/pressrelease.asp?p=851 |
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Jodi Summers negotiates investment properties for Sotheby’s International Realty. For your real estate needs, e-mail Jodi Summers at [email protected], or call 310.260.8269. Visit her websites: www.SoCalInvestmentRealEstate.com www.SoCalIndustrialRealEstateBlog.com www.SoCalOfficeRealEstateBlog.com www.SoCalGreenRealEstateBlog.com www.santamonicalandmarks.com www.SantaMonicaPropertyBlog.com www.SoCalMultiUnitRealEstateBlog.com |
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