Sustainability in Practice

Sustainability isn’t merely a trend or competitive advantage in today’s business environment — to classify it this way minimizes its value. Practicing sustainability is the right thing to do. As we reflect on this past Earth Day, we’re reminded of Rockford’s Sustainability Statement, a framework that guides our thinking and decision making across all our services. But it’s not enough to just have this statement — the words must turn into actions.

In construction, we need to pay attention to the entire life cycle of the things we build and continue to advocate for LEED certification. We must actively look for ways to prevent pollution and minimize waste on our jobsites, reusing and repurposing materials whenever possible.

As a property manager, we have the unique privilege of being able to promote sustainable practices with our residential and commercial tenants. We should encourage them to actively engage within our communities, participating in initiatives like the Westside Cleanup.

And through real estate development, we have to be thoughtful and innovative, pushing the boundaries around what’s possible with renewable and efficient energy infrastructure, as is the case with Circuit West. Economic growth and environmental protection are inextricably linked.

Each and every day, it is important to reflect on how critical the environment is to everything we are and do. Every action is important — especially the small ones. We all can be part of the solution.