The S.F. Department of Environment (SFE) and the Business Council on Climate Change (BC3) have released the Green Tenant Toolkit, an online resource to enhance the energy efficiency and sustainability of commercial buildings by empowering collaboration between owners, property managers, tenants, and occupants in San Francisco.

Inspired by the mayor’s Existing Commercial Buildings Task Force Report (2009), the Green Tenant Toolkit includes best practices for tenants and building management to institute environmental initiatives, a guide to integrating green lease language into negotiations, and a scorecard to summarize key sustainability metrics for any property, whether or not it has a green certification.

“Split incentives” are a key problem, where the person who pays for an energy retrofit might not be the one that benefits. The toolkit is designed to help owners and tenants mutually benefit. Eliminating barriers to sustainability throughout the life of a commercial lease helps to minimize operating costs, save water, reduce carbon emissions, and increase energy efficiency.

“BC3 continues to foster innovation between the public and private sectors,” said Mayor Ed Lee. “The Green Tenant Toolkit is a great resource to help commercial tenants and property owners find win-win opportunities to reduce utility costs and make a positive contribution to our city’s climate goals.”

“The Green Tenant Toolkit is a key addition to San Francisco’s campaign to improve the performance of the built environment using every tool at our disposal,” said SFE director Melanie Nutter. “Public policy and private leadership are essential to protecting the environment and rebuilding the economy, and the Business Council on Climate Change exemplifies that leadership.”

The toolkit was produced by a Business Council on Climate Change working group of 26 professionals from leading commercial real estate companies, design and architecture firms, law firms, model tenants, and building trade organizations.
“Encouraging mindful behavior is critical to maintaining the sustainable performance of our buildings. The Green Tenant Toolkit can enable tenants, building owners and managers to work in unison to achieve sustainability goals,” said Stephanie Rico, vice president of environmental affairs at Wells Fargo and a member of the Green Tenant Toolkit working group.

The Green Tenant Toolkit is available online at www.greentenanttoolkit.com. As it is intended to be a living, evolving tool, user feedback is encouraged and appreciated.