photo credit: Edgar Zuniga Jr.

As is occurring in many states, New York is trying to promote Green Building practices. The state is doing it by offering tax credits as financial incentives.

New York Green Building Initiative

The concept of green building isn’t particularly old and has arisen as a result of a better understanding of the impact of buildings on people and the environment. Ideally, green buildings are designed to use non-polluting energy, recyclable resources and systems that avoid health impacting elements. These buildings are extremely environmentally friendly, provide healthier environments for workers and decrease the heat and pollutant situations found in tightly packed structure and population areas such as New York City.

While green building is a nice idea, our country is based on capitalist methods. If green building isn’t cost efficient, no developer is going to pursue it because doing so will give their competition a price advantage. This is where the New York Green Building Initiative comes in.

The Initiative addresses the cost impact of green building by creating financial incentives to promote the process. By going green, developers are given breaks through tax credits. The state is one of the first in the nation to provide such an incentive system, which is a major incentive. The advantage of tax credits over other incentives is they are incredibly useful in reducing tax liability. Unlike a tax deduction which comes off of gross revenues, tax credits are used to reduce the actual amount of tax owed. For instance, if is a developer owes $5 million in taxes and gets a $2 million dollar tax credit, it has to pay $3 million in taxes.

The New York Green Building Initiative offers developers tax credits of up to $2 million dollars for using green building techniques when building structures. The program is in place until 2014. The Initiative is run by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which can provide you with more information on the program and the application process.

The New York Green Building Initiative represents another step in the recognition of the impact our society has on the environment. By promoting better building practices with tax credits, New York is the model for promoting green building.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on solar power and renewable energy.

photo credit: thingermejig

No matter the product or industry, everyone can benefit from a green office. Operating a green business is not only good for the environment but good for a business’s bottom line. Big and small, there are simple things you can do to run an environmentally friendly business.

It is important to be committed to incorporating eco-friendly best practices wherever possible to prevent waste, reduce overhead costs and increase awareness of living an eco-friendly lifestyle. Here are a few easy-to-implement ideas that can help you be a little “greener”:

- Paper and plastics are recycled on a weekly basis. Products do not need to be separated (except for food waste) since the recycling teams sort and separate by plastic, glass, etc.
- Paper products such as un-needed fax cover sheets should be recycled to provide memo pads and scratch sheets for staff.
- All computers have been upgraded in the last two years to energy efficient models.

- Where possible, buy office products that are eco-friendly [i.e. cleaning products, paper, etc.].
- Only eco-friendly cleaning products are used in the office by staff and cleaning crews.
- Before new furniture is purchased, company-wide audit is done to see if pieces from other offices can be used instead.

- Office lights are on dimmers to reduce electrical costs and sustain bulb life.
- When possible, offices will rely on the cool breeze of spring and fall [all year-round in LA!] instead of running the air conditioner.
- Employees will use a personal water bottle and coffee cup in order to save on the number of wasted paper cups.

- When possible and with the approval of the Client, leftover merchandise, packaged foods and unopened beverages should be donated to local charities and/or or a charity of the Client’s choice.
- All paper used in Xerox and fax machine are the maximum available recycled content.
- Project materials and décor are made from sustainable components, when appropriate and with the Client’s consent.
- Encourage Clients to make carbon offset contributions based on final project execution plan; calculation based on event freight, air/automotive travel and trucking needs.

A Squared Group (http://www.hiptobesquared.com) is a leading experiential marketing agency known for producing innovative, consumer marketing experiences. A2G’s award-winning work includes the development and execution of prestigious campaigns for clients such as Gap, Motorola, Nintendo, method and The ONE Campaign. In addition to receiving numerous industry accolades, A2G was awarded the 2007 Pro Awards Campaign of the Year for the Gap (PRODUCT) RED launch.

A Squared Group is headquartered in West Hollywood, California with satellite offices in New York and Chicago.