Utility data is being collected, reviewed, assured and benchmarked, not only for green loans, GRESB reporting and energy compliance benchmarking, but also for evaluation against jurisdictional Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS) to see if the building has to make adjustments before fines start being assessed (in some cases later this year).

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As part of a recycling program, I ran a resident engagement event to ensure everyone knew which bins were trash and which bins were recycling as well as which material belonged in each. I lured residents in with bagels, coffee, and giveaways. An older gentleman came up my table and without any greeting or pleasantries said to me, “I am a REPUBLICAN, why should I care about recycling?”

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We all know that energy cannot be created or destroyed. We also know that it can be expensive. My news feed this morning was filled with articles on the new reciprocal tariffs and the effect that those could have on goods like automobiles, alcohol, and construction materials. What is not being discussed as prominently is the possible effect of these tariffs on the cost of energy for our properties.

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Recently, ULI’s Lewis Center for Sustainability hosted a sustainability exchange session, titled: Reshaping the City: Zoning for Sustainability, Health, and Inclusion, in which Sara C. Bronin, author of “Key To The City” discussed how local zoning regulation can be used to promote or discourage sustainability practices. The insights were surprising.

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When I was in California, I had a famous quote by Albert Einstein on a sign by my door: “Energy cannot be created or destroyed.”
And underneath it in wiggly handwriting I wrote “But it can be wasted.”

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“No matter how hard I try, I can never, ever know everything about utility management.” I was a single contributor in my company and felt I would never get the experience necessary to be an expert by myself. “I need a network of peers.”

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When I moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to a suburb of Dallas, Texas, I was concerned about what the weather would be like. I knew it would be extremely hot, but having grown up in California’s Central Valley (which is a dessert steppe) I knew heat would not be my issue.

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On February 2, 2025, Punxsutawney Phil, AKA “The Groundhog” suggested that there would be 6 more weeks of winter. Over the past 130 years, Phil has been accurate about 40% of the time, which is not too shabby considering the Farmer’s almanac is 44.4% accurate and the people who make those predictions are not rodents who sleep in holes in the ground.

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In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Juliet from her balcony contemplates her love for Romeo despite her family’s feud with his family. Read more to see how this idea relates to Multifamily Sustainability practitioners today.

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If you have not watched the movie, “Caddy Shack” I highly recommend it. Not only is it one of Bill Murray’s finest performances, but it also contains one of the most hilarious scenes ever, which involved a candy bar chucked into a swimming pool.

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I was recently reminded of my early roots in sustainability in multifamily. Specifically, carrots.

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The 1944 Film Noir, “Double Indemnity, gets its title from the insurance clause which doubles life insurance payouts due to death occurring in a rare way. Whenever I hear the sustainability term “double materiality”, I think of that film and Barbara Stanwick. 

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There are a couple reasons that I am thinking about solar and the myths about its efficacy today.

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My husband tells me this is a true event, although I do not have any memory of it. In 2017, I had surgery and underwent general anesthesia. When finally allowed to see me, my husband sat by my bedside waiting for me to regain consciousness.

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I love this time of year in multifamily. Things slow down (slightly) from the break-neck pace of the rest of the year and we get to take a moment to ponder where we are and to set goals for our assets and for ourselves.

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There is no question that winter is here, which makes hot showers even more glorious. I must really watch my timer to ensure that my shower time is reasonable and not indulgent.

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One of my favorite Elvis Presly songs, “A little less conversation” starts with the lyric, “A little less conversation a little more action, please”, which speaks to my soul.

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Growing up in unincorporated Fresno where your nearest neighbor was five miles away, it was a prerequisite to have a hound dog. Mine was a coonhound named Major.

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The first time I ever presented a case study purely on the economic value of sustainability was at the NWP Energy Summit in 2014. It was an amazing, nerve-wracking experience in which, prior to presenting, I stress-ate a giant bag of potato chips with no portion control whatsoever.

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As a practitioner of sustainability in multifamily, sometimes I hear things that crack me up. My all-time favorite was an article about a town in North Carolina which moved to ban solar because it would suck up all the energy from the sun, take it away from plants and drive business out of their town.