Tenant expectations are high. They expect top-notch commercial building amenities. What can you offer that your neighboring office parks don’t? What are the amenities that will set your campus apart? As part of our series on the most sought-after amenities, last time we talked about amenitizing your outdoor spaces.

According to Fooda (the mega partner for corporate food service at leading companies like Amazon, GM, Wayfair and Hyatt), the most sought-after corporate amenities for tenants are:

6. Outdoor spaces that are amazing as amenities themselves.

7. Eco-friendly options for going green.

8. Security measures as a fundamental safety concern.

There’s more to this list, but you’ll need to come back again next week as we delve deeper into these topics. This week, we’re talking...

Eco-friendly Options.

It’s time to go green if you’re not already there. We’re often surprised by the office parks that aren’t recycling, which is such an easy thing to do. But being green isn’t just about those recycling stations outdoors; the environment needs us to be more thoughtful and responsible. Going green isn’t as difficult or costly as you might think.

• Add recycling receptacles alongside your outdoor garbage receptacles so tenants can make a smart choice. Clearly label trash, recycling, and compost bins. Also add recycling receptacles at your garbage dumpster areas.
• Instead of sending snack and candy wrappers to the landfill, investigate TerraCycle boxes to go zero-waste.
• Install secure bicycle racks throughout your campus so tenants can easily bike rather than drive to important locations like your amenity center, gym, or food truck spots.
• Take the extra steps to have your buildings green-certified. This may not be the most budget-friendly option, but there are many benefits to receiving your certification. Pro Tip: Green-certified locations receive certification seals that can be displayed on company websites, printed on collateral, and shared with the community to demonstrate your focus on green efforts. This can provide other avenues for marketing and promotions and attract more tenants who are interested in sustainability. Some of the certification programs offer additional benefits like marketing support and partnership opportunities.
• Incorporate lots of glass to let in natural light to cut down on electricity needs and upgrade your lightbulbs and fixtures.
• Bring plants indoors for improved air quality. Plants can reduce an office’s carbon emissions as well as naturally purify the air. Some plants are better at this than others; we recommend Spider Plants, Peace Lilies, English Ivy or Bamboo Palms. Many mobile plant trucks are popping up throughout the country to help bring foliage to office parks. You can incorporate plants into your public indoor spaces, but also host an event where you tenants can come out to a plant truck to buy for their specific offices.
• Install electric vehicle charging station. We're seeing those everywhere now, even in unexpectedly smaller office parks.
• Let tenants control their work environments by using smart technology in areas like lighting and HVAC. Our MOBLZ office powers down at 5:30 by automatically shutting TV screens and lights and raising thermostats so the air isn’t running when no one is in the office. Bathrooms also have motion sensors for lighting controls. Use technology to control the electricity vampires!
• Automate window shades to remain up during regular office hours. About 25% of the electricity consumed in the US is used to light office spaces. Cut your environment and financial losses by opening the blinds and letting the natural daylight pour into your workplace.
• Source your vending machines and other suppliers locally.
• Invest in bottleless water dispensers.
• Ask your cleaning crews to use microfiber towels instead of disposables and eco-friendly cleaning products.
• Stock breakrooms and amenity centers with compostable products or reusables instead of paper.
• Establish a sustainability initiative taskforce or green team to incorporate your property management and tenant volunteers. Their involvement in how to become more eco-friendly will lead to greater adoption.
• Don’t ignore water issue requests like leaky faucets or toilets. Believe it or not, fixing a leaky faucet or toilet could save you up to 10% on your monthly water bill.
• Host donation or electronic recycling events on your campus so tenants can easily dispose of things they no longer need.
• Find fun ways to incentivize your tenants for their green behaviors.