Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. At THE MART, we are taking big steps to be green through sustainable practices like composting, recycling, reducing water and energy use and empowering others to do the same.

THE MART and Vornado Sustainability encourages our tenants to learn more about our energy, water, waste, and wellness programs. Contact the VNO Sustainability Team if you are interested in learning more.

LEED is a rating system used to determine how sustainably a building is designed and operated. THE Mart has been improving its operations to be more sustainable since the early 1990s, and pursued a LEED certification to encourage continuous improvement. LEED measures the reduction of natural resources (energy, water, waste) and improvement of health and comfort for occupants (air quality, wellness, etc.). THE Mart is certified as a whole building under the Operations & Maintenance Standard, and individual tenants can certify under the Interior Design & Construction Standard (ID+C) for new spaces as well as the Operations & Maintenance (O+M) standard for existing spaces.

In 2007, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its affiliate the Green Building Certification Incorporation (GBCI) certified the building Silver under the LEED for Existing Buildings 2.0 standard. THE Mart was the largest building in the world to achieve LEED certification at the time. Several tenants worked with the Mart to achieve LEED Commercial Interiors (CI) certification, the precursor to the ID+C standard.

In 2013, the GBCI awarded THE MART LEED EB O+M Gold Certification under the 2009 Standard – again making it the largest structure in the world to achieve the certification. The Mart also began pursuing ID+C for new spaces, and assisted several tenants in doing so.

In 2017, THE MART began the process of renewing its LEED certification, and achieved LEED V4 O+M Gold certification using the GBCI’s Arc platform. Arc provides buildings with a continuous update of its certification monthly with energy, water, and waste performance data, with annual renewals of base building credits and prerequisites of the standard. Tenants now have the ability to improve THE MART’s LEED score! Here’s what you can do to participate:

• Take the 1-minute survey to update our transportation and tenant wellness scores.
• Use our green tips to make sustainable choices at work and at home.
• Pursue Interior Design & Construction or Arc certification for your tenant space.

THE MART supports several tenant wellness initiatives.

The WELL Building Standard® is a performance-based system for measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and wellbeing, through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind.

WELL Tenant Handbook

Fitwel is a building rating system for commercial interiors and both multi-tenant and single-tenant existing buildings that provides guidelines on how to design and operate healthier buildings.

At THE MART, we are committed to green initiatives. Here are some tips and links to help you go green at work and at home.

At work:

1. Optimize power settings on computers and electronic devices. Shut down at the end of the day, and turn off any second monitors.

2. Unplug printers, scanners, and copiers only used occasionally and use EnergyStar settings on those that are in use.

3. Turn off all lights and any audio/visual equipment not being used, and work with your office to install occupancy sensors in offices and conference rooms, and replace fluorescent and incandescent fixtures with LED fixtures and bulbs.

4. Use revolving doors when possible – they reduce the conditioned air lost to the outside.

5. Don’t print unless you need to. If you have to, print double sided.

6. Purchase materials with at least 30% post-consumer recycled content, such as recycled paper.

7. Bring lunch and use reusable containers to save unnecessary waste and personal costs.

8. Bring in mugs, glasses, and utensils, and request that your take-out orders leave them out.

9. Try to notice what uses energy and water, and what creates waste. Simply raising your awareness positively changes habits.

10. Recycle in the simplest way possible with these tips.

11. Ask THE MART about its composting program.

12. Purchase EnergyStar appliances, and seek out low-emitting refrigerants for refrigeration equipment.

At home:

1. Use LED lightbulbs, with daylight or occupancy sensors on outdoor fixtures. Lighting can account for up to 40% of your home’s energy budget.

2. Install a smart thermostat to reduce your energy use by up to 6%.

3. Use smart plugs to turn off electronics when not in use, especially on entertainment peripherals. Plug load can account for 10% of your electricity budget, even with modern entertainment appliances. You can buy many of these with a discount from your utility.

4. If you own your home and it is older than 40 years, you may benefit from weatherization (air sealing and insulating your home). Weatherization can save 15-30% when done by a qualified contractor.

5. You can now take advantage of solar power as a homeowner and a renter in Illinois. Because of rebates and credits, solar power has a better return over 25 years than many long term investments.

6. Energy efficient air conditioning has come a long way toward more efficient products in the past decade. Replacing room air conditioners with EnergyStar room air conditioners and central air conditioning with an air-sourced heat pump can save on cooling costs. Air sourced heat pumps can provide heating in the fall and spring, saving on heating costs as well. Ductless mini-split heat pumps can be used in place of room air conditioners for larger rooms when central air conditioning is not possible, such as condominiums.

7. Take public transportation, walk, or bike. Transportation contributes 30% of climate changing emissions, so eliminate them by not using fossil fueled transportation. The Active Transit Alliance supports bicycle commuting, and THE MART works with tenants to provide bike locker storage on request. Divvy bicycles are also available on the west side of the building.

8. If you have to own a car, drive electric. New electric cars have a 200+ mile range, cost less than $2 to fully charge, and have none of the regular maintenance requirements that a traditional gas powered car requires. Electric emissions in Illinois are greener than fossil fuels and continue to improve with increased wind and solar generation. Charging stations continue to be plentiful and expand all the time. One popular network is ChargePoint.

9. Compost in your backyard, with worms, or with a local pickup service.

10. Buy local food when possible, or sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture co-op.

11. Motivated home owners may consider going all-electric to reduce their carbon footprint by replacing all gas appliances in the home with electric appliances and installing solar panels. A typical existing weatherized home with efficient appliances can meet the Architecture 2030 Residential Challenge Target for New Construction, a standard for new buildings, by retrofitting and installing efficient appliances and installing solar panels.

12. Calculate your household carbon footprint to determine how you compare to your neighbor.

13. Solar PV + EV + hourly pricing with ComEd can almost eliminate your electricity bill (you have to pay the customer charge).

Tenants can receive lighting rebates from ComEd. Additionally, ComEd, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, and Nicor customers can find product rebates for appliances and weatherization services at:

ComEd Marketplace for smart appliances, thermostats, and plugs

ComEd Smart Ideas for Homes

Nicor Natural Gas Savings Program

Peoples Gas & North Shore Gas Savings Program

Renewable Energy Credits for Solar

Tax Incentives for Electric Vehicles

Tax Incentives for Photovoltaic Solar Power

Integrated Pest Management

THE MART is committed to controlling pests inside and outside the building using an integrated pest management (IPM) initiative that limits building occupant exposure to pesticides. This initiative centers on two principles:

1. Active monitoring and long term prevention using an ecosystem-based approach.

2. Least-toxic approaches when management is needed to minimize risks to human health, beneficial and nontarget organisms, and the environment.

To assist THE MART in meeting its IPM goals, all tenants are encouraged to work with THE MART on any pest-related issues, as the use of non-least toxic pesticides for management must involve the building. Further information is available in THE MARTs IPM policy. Please contact Dave Foley, Director of Operations, to address Integrated Pest Management questions.

Facility Maintenance & Renovation

THE MART strives to ensure the health of its tenants with construction and renovation of interior and exterior spaces. It follows a building Facilities Maintenance & Alterations policy designed to:

1. Minimize dust from leaving the space under construction by creating physical barriers, providing sticky mats, limiting HVAC use during construction and using filtration media, keeping the construction area clean, and flushing the space before occupancy.

2. Minimize indoor air quality issues after occupancy by encouraging the use of low-VOC adhesives, coatings, building materials, and furniture, monitoring VOCs continuously in the building, and using high performing filtration media in all air handling units.

Tenants seeking to renovate space are encouraged to work with the building to follow green building standards such as LEED, or seek LEED, Fitwel, or Well certification as part of their renovation.

Ongoing Purchasing & Waste

THE MART adheres to a waste policy that seeks to minimize waste from the building from its operations as well as its tenants. THE MART’s purchasing and waste minimization goals, part of its Purchasing & Waste Management Policy follow three core principles: Minimize waste creation through smarter purchasing.

Minimize the lifecycle environmental costs of products that are purchased by prioritizing products that meet one or more life cycle impact certification standards. These include:

1. Interior reuse

2. Furniture and material reuse

3. Designing for flexibility

4. Sourcing products that meet one or more recognized Environmental Product Disclosure certification requirements in their supply chain

5. Designing waste systems to accommodate diversion through better user experience

THE MART supports waste diversion of the following waste streams, which are outlined in its Purchasing & Waste Plan.

1. Bottle containers, such as plastic, aluminum, and glass container recycling

2. HDPE (#1) plastic containers

3. Cardboard recycling

4. Office paper recycling

5. Food waste composting

6. Construction & Demolition waste, including

7. Landfillable, non-divertible waste

Plastics that are not bottles but meet recyclable criteria, such as #1 HDPE plastics, may be recycled if they are clean. Reusable building materials and furniture may be repurposed with advanced notice.

Tenants are encouraged to work with Kevin Dick, Sustainability Consultant, to discuss office diversion options, including purchasing compostable products and reducing waste creation.

Building Air & Water Quality Testing

THE MART conducts periodic air and water quality testing for contaminants. Air contaminants include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. These chemicals can be unhealthy in high concentrations. Water contaminants include bacteria (legionella and coliform), heavy metals including lead and copper, pH, chlorine concentration, and organic contaminants. THE MART tests both common areas and tenant spaces and maintains the building within acceptable limits.

The most recent tests in December 2021 reported all contaminants within acceptable Environmental Protection Agency limits, or where applicable, more stringent limits denoted as best practice by LEED and FitWel building standards.

Site Management and Green Cleaning

Green cleaning in the building is managed under the Green Cleaning policy.

LEED ID&C Cheat Sheet / List of Requirements

WELL Handbook

Fitwel Handbook