The Empire State Building may be an iconic part of New York, but right now the famous building is in a green state of mind.
It was announced that the building, which is the tallest in NYC, will undergo a multimillion dollar renovation process and is buying 100% wind power from Green Mountain Energy. A two-year contract was signed for 55 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy annually, which is expected to reduce energy use by 40%, and eliminate 100 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Which, just to give you an idea, is equivalent to planting 150,000 trees— more than six times the number in Central Park.
“It was a natural fit for us to combine 100% clean energy with our nearly completed, groundbreaking energy efficiency retrofit work,” said Anthony E. Malkin, president of Malkin Holdings, which runs the building. “Clean energy and our nearly 40% reduced consumption of watts and BTUs gives us a competitive advantage in attracting the best credit tenants at the best rents.”
The initiative then not only benefits the environment, but hopes to draw in fresh tenants looking to improve their surroundings in eco-friendly style
Arah Schuur is the director of a conservation program at Bill Clinton‘s foundation and told USA Today that, “It’s the most recognizable building energy retrofit in the world.”