COVID-19 has changed our lives in so many ways. At 5, we transitioned to remote working on March 16th as lockdowns were imposed in the states where we live. One positive that came from this transition is that fewer cars are on the road. The result is a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The 5 Planeteers, our internal sustainability team, wanted to highlight the environmental impacts of this reduction and calculated the overall carbon emissions that our team has saved by telecommuting since mid-March.

Even though we are spending more time at home these days, which means less commuting and less pollution, each of us continues to leave an environmental footprint. Consider these 5 steps you can take to reduce your environmental footprint today:

Moorestown, NJ - May 28, 2020

McLean Packaging, a turnkey provider of rigid set boxes, folding cartons, corrugated displays and thermoformed packaging solutions with emphasis on the beauty and personal care sectors, has contracted with national energy advisory firm 5 and ENGIE Resources, LLC on a five-year energy agreement that supports the development of renewables. The deal supports McLean’s zero carbon transition and sustainability goals which include sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable resources.

Dallas, TX - April 4, 2020

In late 2018, a world-class academic medical center in NYC engaged Luthin Associates, 5’s regional brand in the tri-state area, to process Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) refunds. This hospital group has already come to expect excellence when working with our team through various programs and projects that we were doing on an ala carte basis. After only a few years of the GRT program, the hospital system had already realized over $700,000 in refunds.

New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act, especially Local Law 97, sparked the creation of generic carbon calculators for buildings to assess occupancy class and emission limits. Although intended to be helpful, not all are accurate.

Royal Holiday Group has more than 35 years of experience in the national and international tourism industry. It is an owner and operator of Royal Holiday Vacation Club and Park Royal Hotels & Resorts, a hotel chain with 14 resorts in Mexico, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Florida in the United States. Park Royal Hotels and Resorts caters to travelers that are looking for a luxurious beach destination with their Grand Park Royal resorts, a family-friendly resort with their Park Royal line or their Park Royal City group of hotels which offers a more urban hotel setting.

Waterside Plaza is a luxury rental community in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in New York City. Located in the Kips Bay section of Manhattan, Waterside Plaza is comprised of four residential towers with nearly 1,500 units and retail space that serves the community. The complex is adjacent to the United Nations International School and is situated on the East River.

Houghton College had a number of exciting energy projects on campus prior to engaging the team at 5. These projects were driven by their commitment to sustainability and featured a campus-wide LED lighting retrofit project, a 2.6 MW solar array and other initiatives to reduce their carbon footprint. 5 was able to partner with Houghton College’s sustainability and finance teams to put all of the pieces together into a comprehensive strategy for energy procurement and demand-side management.

New York City passed a set of laws under the Climate Mobilization Act to transition New York toward clean electricity and drastically lower Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. This new legislation intends to counter the threat of climate change and involves four local laws which require: