A world of sustainable progress: Earth Day from the view of OMERS and Oxford’s CREW team
By: Michelle J. Landon, VP, Global Corporate Real Estate and Workspace (CREW), OMERS and Oxford
April 22, 2024
Last year, OMERS released its Climate Action Plan, targeting carbon reductions to its operations and investment portfolio over the next 25 years. This means the commitment to Net Zero by 2050 includes building smart, responsible and sustainable workplaces for our workforce.
And that’s where we come in. CREW – Corporate Real Estate & Workspace – is a global team dedicated to taking our internal spaces all around the world to the next level. We manage all OMERSand Oxford Properties Group leases and internal corporate construction, while keeping thoughtfully ahead of workspace trends and our commitment to sustainability.
Through innovative space strategy, data-informed planning and eco-friendly practices in the spaces our people work in each and every day, we are devoted to operational excellence while providing a best-in-class employee experience throughout our global enterprise. Oxford Properties is continuously recognized as a leader in sustainable real estate, championing net-zero carbon strategies and fostering community impact throughout its vast portfolio, predominantly composed of office spaces.
As our global enterprise spans multiple continents, CREW has a unique perspective that oversees the progress we’ve made – and continue to make – in all parts of the world. This Earth Day, we’re taking a moment to reflect on our workspaces from the view of CREW, looking into the sustainable strides made to date and what we’re so excited about to come.
On a global front, we are:
Eliminating single-use plastic in conference areas across all offices;
Repurposing/relocating existing furniture in some of our North American offices (by doing this last year, we saved $500,000 in our Toronto office and nearly $200,000 in our New York office. And in Q1 of 2024 alone, we’re already at nearly another $200,000 in total savings!)
Piloting framery pods, which are soundproof, standalone, transportable booths placed in open office spaces;
Measuring supplier delivery emissions and looking into ways we can centralize orders; and
Tracking utility consumption and waste management to establish baseline reporting numbers.
Let’s also get into some of the specifics from West to East –
In Toronto, we’re conducting audits to source sustainable products for our catering services; have switched to 30% FSC-certified sustainable paper; and are partnering with our Pensions team to reduce paper statements and forms.
In New York, we have plans to begin a composting program later this year, in an effort to further reduce our waste and repurpose whatever we can.
Across the Atlantic Ocean to our London office, we are excited to share that the team is working on a global ESG workplace fit-out guide, providing sustainable best practices on refurbishment projects of all our interior spaces. This will be an incredibly handy tool across our offices.
Moving further east in Europe to Paris and Luxembourg, we are installing motion captors where necessary – just as we have done in some of our other offices – to better ensure lights are off when spaces are not being used.
In our offices in Singapore and Sydney, we are looking into other concrete ways of incorporating recycle, reuse and repurpose, while contributing to in-house sustainable programs that support the overall 2050 Net Zero commitment.
This is only the beginning. As we celebrate our current undertakings, we look ahead with optimism and enthusiasm in our pursuit of smarter, more responsible and more sustainable workspaces. This Earth Day serves as a reminder that our organization’s commitment to Net Zero stretches as far as the planet’s expanse itself – depicting the true extent of our potential reach.
Happy Earth Day!