2024 Jackson Control Sustainability Awards showcase green leaders

The real estate management industry is increasingly emphasizing the importance of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) standards for a more sustainable future. IREM has been a leader in promoting sustainable practices and, in 2015, created the IREM Certified Sustainable Property (CSP) program. This certification is designed for existing buildings that are implementing green real estate management practices. The IREM Foundation, in partnership with IREM and Jackson Control, hosted a crowdsourced competition among recipients of the 2024 Jackson Control Sustainability Awards to select a People’s Choice for Sustainable Property Award.

The Jackson Control Sustainability Awards recognize exceptional performance among IREM CSPs in advancing sustainable practices in property management. These awards highlight the teams of people behind sustainable building performance and encourage knowledge-sharing to help others on their sustainable property journeys. The IREM CSP certification is an attainable, affordable, and meaningful recognition program for existing industrial, office, medical office, multifamily, senior housing, retail, and self-storage (new in fall 2023).

The comprehensive IREM CSP encompasses energy, water, health, recycling, and purchasing. More than 1,800 IREM CSP certifications have been awarded across medical office, multifamily, office, industrial, shopping center, senior housing, and self-storage asset classes. Companies with CSP properties value the accessibility of the requirements, along with the templates and tools in the certification materials, as the key benefits of participating in the program. They include the CSP in their building certification strategy to enhance their annual ESG reporting and communicate to stakeholders, including investors and tenants/residents, that sustainability is a priority to them.

Jackson Control Sustainability Award winners are chosen based on their significant contributions to sustainability, energy conservation, community engagement, and environmental stewardship. “Buildings account for one-third of global energy consumption and emissions. Sustainable building practices deliver significant energy and cost savings while reducing carbon emissions and energy use, conserving water, prioritizing safer materials, and lowering exposure to toxins,” says Greg Ericksen, chairman and CEO of Jackson Control Co. Inc. “The Jackson Control Sustainability Awards celebrate real estate management teams that champion sustainable practices, inspiring others on their sustainable property journeys.”

This award program highlights the partnership between all property stakeholders, including owners, investors, property managers, maintenance teams, vendors, tenants, and residents. Case studies on each property highlight their sustainability practices and the ESG strategies of the property management companies and investors.

Hazard Center Office staff

All category winners were finalists for the People’s Choice for Sustainable Property Award. The winner, selected via popular vote, was the Hazard Center, a San Diego office building managed by Avison Young, where everyone from the property manager to the engineering, security, and janitorial teams plays a role and works together to keep the space as efficient and sustainable as possible.

Mark Rose, chair and CEO, Avison Young commented, “At our firm, we’ve cultivated a unique, people-first culture. We work together to find better ways for real estate to perform at a human scale to meet our clients’ needs and goals. That’s why our ESG and wellness strategy addresses our own operations and our clients’ ESG needs to advance some of our world’s most pressing issues.”

Added Ericksen: “Jackson Control is proud of Hazard Center Office for winning the People’s Choice Sustainable Property of the Year award. I applaud Avison Young for putting together a team of people to meet the climate crisis head-on. As the built environment continues to be a leading cause of carbon emissions, every step towards advancing sustainable practices makes a difference.”

Dee Headley, CPM^®, CCIM, and IREM Foundation President, congratulated Hazard Center Office as “an example of what’s possible when your building’s management, engineering, janitorial, and security staff come together to find sustainable energy solutions. Avison Young hopes to continue identifying renewable options for the properties they manage to reach a net-zero goal by 2040.”

For additional information on ESG initiatives, IREM offers the following tools and support:

• Earn the IREM Certified Sustainable Property (CSP).
• Enroll in the IREM Skill Badge: Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) or IREM skills on-demand courses.
• Learn how technology can enhance the performance of your properties.
• Implement sustainability best practices from a research study on the CSP.

About IREM Foundation

At the IREM Foundation, we’re driven by our belief that well-managed real estate leads to thriving communities, so we provide access to education and resources that assist those in the real estate management profession. The IREM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity established in 1977. You can learn more about our work in education, research, diversity, and sustainability at iremfoundation.org.