Green Initiatives 

 

As one of North America’s largest owners and managers of commercial real estate, Cadillac Fairview is committed to being “Best in Class” and that is certainly evident in our approach to green initiatives. As a company, we feel it is our obligation to seek out the latest advances in green building design and operation – to lead by example. We know that the expectation of our company to be cleaner, more efficient and reduce waste is an ongoing journey not a destination. With this in mind, Cadillac Fairview carefully measures and benchmarks its green initiatives, raising the bar each year in terms of the results for every one of our properties across the country.

The successful execution of company-wide green initiatives is being achieved through a detailed, measurable and long-term program called GREEN AT WORK™. This proprietary program is national in scope; implemented at all properties and sets operational benchmarks.  The premise of GREEN AT WORK™ is the idea that sustainability is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. We realize that our sustainable operations reduce operating costs, earn tenant loyalty and provide a healthier working environment for us all.

The program itself focuses on five environmental pillars:
1. Energy: A key focus is on Energy Conservation and Efficiency and the incorporation of renewable energy sources, with a long term goal of net-zero emissions from buildings.
2. Waste Management: Our goal is to generate zero waste by implementing a consistent and dedicated approach to waste diversion and waste minimization.
3. Environmental Protection: Our goal is to eliminate adverse impacts at our properties wherever our activities, products and services interact with the environment, while ensuring compliance with governmental regulations.
4. Sustainable Procurement: Wherever possible, we will utilize environmentally-friendly products, services and best management practices at all properties.
5. Communication: Our comprehensive Green Communication Plan has been designed to inform, engage, educate and share green best practices with our employees and tenants so that we can work together to make a difference.

GREEN AT WORK™ supports Cadillac Fairview’s ongoing commitment to corporate social responsibility with the belief that by working with our tenants, employees, suppliers and customers we are “building sustainability together™”.

To learn more about the GREEN AT WORK™ Program, please click here.

 

 

Galeries d’Anjou are actively participating to the GREEN AT WORK™ program.  Various initiatives are implemented each year in order to fulfill the requirements of each pillar, a short outline of these initiatives are presented below.

In our sorting and recycling rooms, the materials listed below can be recovered from our tenants. In some cases, depending on how much is there to recover, our outdoor maintenance team may also collect these materials directly from the stores: 

·         Cardboard (blue section);

·         Paper (white section);

·         Plastic (yellow section);

·         Metal (yellow section);

·         Glass (yellow section);

·         Bulbs, fluorescent tubes and ballasts (green section);

·         Batteries (green section).

 

At the administration office, the serviCentre, the security office and the HVAC department, we recover the following materials, in addition to the products collected in the sorting and recycling rooms:

  • Ink cartridges, which are recycled for the benefit of the MIRA Foundation;
  • Computer equipment, which must be disposed of in a specific way to prevent the metals in components from becoming contaminants.

 

In our regular operations at the food court, in addition to the products collected in the sorting and recycling room, we recover:

·    Used oils;

·    Fats from fat separators in restaurants, which can be used to produce energy before serving as agricultural fertilizer.

 

During store or shopping centre construction work, when we have accumulated enough material, we sort and recover construction materials sporadically so that everything can be re-used, such as wood, cardboard, gypsum, earth, plastic, concrete, metal, bricks, and gravel.

 

The outdoor maintenance team and the decoration shop take great care to sort and recover oils and paints.

 

Lighting

We recently reprogrammed the lighting in our common areas to reduce lighting hours. The various zones are illuminated only a short time before the shopping centre opens. In addition, the lighting system is equipped with a detector to delay outdoor lighting if natural conditions allow for this, while ensuring adequate visibility for customers moving around the parking area. 

Christmas decorations are all equipped with LED lighting, which is longer-lasting and less energy-intensive than traditional lighting.

 

Bicycle patrol

When weather conditions permit, our security agents patrol the outdoor areas by bicycle, minimizing the use of vehicles.

 

Recycling of lighting devices

Throughout the year, we recycle used bulbs and fluorescent tubes. This has enabled us to recycle more than two kilometres of tubes and 3,000 bulbs, ensuring that gases and metals likely to cause contamination have been eliminated.