Water management in the commercial real estate sector. Is blue the new gre...

For the January 23, 2014 Better Buildings Breakfast we are honored to Julia St. Michael with REALpac and Meredith Brown with Ottawa Riverkeeper present information about Water conservation in the commercial real estate sector. Is BLUE the new green?

Julia St. Michael, Manager of Research & Environmental Programs of the Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac)

Julia will give a presentation about REALpac's recently released Water Benchmarking Pilot Report and describe the Pilot Survey process, analysis of data and results seen. The Survey is a first attempt at gathering national data on whole building water consumption. This fresh look at the Canada-wide data is positive and promising as it shows owners, tenants, and building managers are interested and active in monitoring water use. The report was prepared in collaboration with Halsall Associates.

Meredith Brown, Executive Director of the Ottawa Riverkeeper

Meredith will provide an overview of the state of our Ottawa River and discuss the important role of leadership in the realm of water preservation and conservation. The Ottawa RIVERKEEPER is a licensed member of Waterkeeper Alliance, an international grass roots advocacy organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The breakfast will kick off with a Real Estate News EXchange green real estate news report followed by JJ McNeil Commercial Inc. Green Real Estate Market Update.


Please join us for this informative Better Buildings Breakfast to learn about 

Water management in the commercial real estate industry. Is blue the new green?

Julia St. Michael, Manager of Research & Environmental Programs of the Real Property Association

Since joining REALpac in 2009, Julia St. Michael has been responsible for the content development, research, and implementation of numerous projects and publications. Her work includes overseeing the "Canadian Institutional Commercial Mortgage Market Report", the "2012 Canada-wide Development Process Survey Report" and "The Contribution of the Commercial Real Estate Sector to the Canadian Economy", the revamping of the "Guide to Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting" plus the "REALpac Green Lease Guide for Commercial Office Tenants".

In addition, Julia spearheaded the development of the REALpac Energy Normalization Methodology and managed the growth and implementation of the REALpac Energy Benchmarking Program including the roll-out and administration of the 2010 & 2011 Energy Benchmarking Survey and the publication of the 2010 and 2012 Energy Benchmarking Reports. Recently, she has completed a Water Benchmarking Pilot Survey for commercial office buildings and published the first Water Benchmarking Pilot Report, in collaboration with Halsall Associates. Julia is a LEED(r) Accredited Professional (AP)."

REALpac water benchmarking program

REALpac is extending the success of its Energy Benchmarking Program to a Water Benchmarking Program, The association expects to release its first water benchmarking report at the end of 2013. The program will include a water normalization methodology and mark the beginning of a process where office buildings are asked to submit water use data to an online database using the trademark WATERSTAR™. For background information read Water Management: A Benchmark for Canadian Office Buildings, May 2011, REALpac

About REALpac

The Real Property Association of Canada (REALpac) is an exclusive, executive organization whose vision is to be Canada’s most influential voice in the real property investment industry. Our mission is to bring together Canada’s real property investment leaders to collectively influence public policy, to educate government and the public, to ensure stable and beneficial real estate property and capital markets and to promote the performance of the Real Property sector in Canada

Meredith Brown, Executive Director, Ottawa Riverkeeper

Meredith Brown is a strong science-based voice for the Ottawa River, acting as its full-time “watchdog”. Since 2004, Meredith has significantly raised the profile of the Ottawa River and brought important issues such as sewage dumping and radioactive waste to the attention of the public and decision-makers. The Riverkeeper is regularly called on to comment on issues that impact the river and to provide insightful solutions and recommendations to improve the health and future of the Ottawa River.

Meredith holds biology and environmental engineering degrees from Queen’s University and the University of Guelph. She also earned a Masters in Resource and Environmental Management from Simon Fraser University where she studied with Robert Newbury, a world-renowned river engineer and stream restoration specialist.

Meredith’s compelling leadership and collaborative approach has brought excellent results and Meredith is networked with key players throughout the watershed. Meredith sits on several advisory committees including an Environmental Stewardship Committee with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, the Fisheries Management Advisory Committee for the Ottawa River with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the City of Ottawa’s Stormwater Management Advisory Committee. Meredith was recently named a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

About the Ottawa RiverKeepers

Ottawa RIVERKEEPER is a licensed member of Waterkeeper Alliance, an international grass roots advocacy organization founded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A WATERKEEPER is a full-time, non-governmental ombudsman whose special responsibility is to be the full-time public advocate for a water body.

The Waterkeeper Alliance head office is located in New York. You can learn more about the fasting growing environmental organization in North America, including website links to other Waterkeeper websites, at www.waterkeeper.org

Program:



7:15 - Doors open - Buffet breakfast

7:50 - Welcome & introduction,

8:00 – Ottawa Green Real Estate Market Update

8:10 - Sponsor presentations

8:15 - Presentations

Meredith Brown, Executive Director, Ottawa Riverkeeper

Julia St. Michael, Manager of Research & Environmental Programs of the Real Property Association of Canada


9:00 – Q&A

9:15 - Wrap Up



Cost: $40 plus the EventBrite.com Fee per breakfast



On-site Registration: The deadline to register is 24 hours prior to the event if it is not already sold out. Late on-site registrants will be charged $40.

 Please note that no tickets will be issued. Check in at the registration desk upon arrival. The EventBrite confirmation of payment is a receipt for event registration.



Enquiries:



Ann White, awhite@renx.ca, (613) 569-6300



James McNeil, james@jjmcneil.ca, (613) 668-7738



The Next Better Buildings Breakfast:

March 2014 - Climate change and property insurance. What to expect.

May 2014 - Greening the retail sector.

Thank you to our sponsors



The Better Buildings Breakfast Series is hosted by the Real Estate News Exchange (RENX) in partnership with JJ McNeil Commercial Inc.

For sponsorship information contact: Ann White, awhite@renx.ca, (613) 569-6300