The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board has earned ANSI accreditation ahead of its inaugural meeting. The independent council is comprised of experts in standards development, securities law, environmental law, metrics and accounting. The board will oversee the development of industry-specific standards for relevant sustainability issues at the industry level to measure and disclose environmental, social and governance performance, SASB said.
Energy technology company JLM Energy has secured OG-100 certification from the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation for its Gyezr solar thermal collectors. Gyezr solar thermal collectors incorporate breakthrough technology for commercial solar hot water generation, the company said.
Castle Square Apartments, a 1960s Boston apartment block, has earned LEED Platinum certification for Homes – Multifamily following an deep energy saving retrofit. The complex is aiming to cut energy consumption by 72 percent. As a result of the retrofit, the cost of gas for heating and hot water has been cut to $50,000 from $194,000 a year. Electricity bills have been cut from $397,000 to $181,000, Design Build Source writes.
The Ford Center, a century-old Model T factory in Minneapolis, has earned LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings following a $40 million retrofit. The recently completed project converted the space from a warehouse to 265,000 square feet of Class A office space. The 10-story brick building also won a 2012 Heritage Preservation Award from Preserve Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission and the Minneapolis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, for rehabilitation of a landmark building, Earth Techling writes.
UPC Netherlands has received ISO 14001 certification from Lloyds Register. The company has undertaken various activities focused on the environment and society, including on-site solar installations and use of electronic invoices. UPC also looked for sustainable systems within its supply and delivery chain, integrating both social and environmental criteria, Telecom Paper said. In 2011, UPC said it wanted to become 30 percent more efficient by 2020.
SAI Global has certified St. Elizabeth Hospital of Appleton, Wisc., part of Affinity Health System, to the ISO 14001 environmental management system standard. SAI Global partnered with Affinity to help develop and implement each step of the certification process that would link all departments into a program of continuous improvement, SAI said.
Emaar Community Management, a property management company in Dubai, has earned ISO 50001 certification for its energy management system, the first organization of its kind in the UAE to meet the standard, and ISO 14001 for its environmental management system. The company reviewed its 52 property developments and analyzed 106 GW of power usage over 101 million square feet of common area to meet the standards, the company said.
Sime Darby Property is the first property management organization in Malaysia to receive an ISO 50001 certification from SIRIM QAS International. The certification covers the energy management system for the operation and maintenance of property assets. The company aims to achieve a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency in its portfolio holdings by 2020, The Sun Daily said.