Office Space for Lease in Overland Park, KS: 4 Questions for Finding an Environmentally Friendly Space
Looking for an environmentally friendly Kansas Office Space For Rent can be a bit of hassle when trying to juggle all of your business’s priorities for an office space. But going green in your office is not only good for the environment, but good for your bottom line and the general health and well being of your employees. Here are a few questions to ask when trying to find that perfect green office space for rent in Overland Park, as suggested in the article “How to Find a Green Building”:
1. How does the building operate and look?
Is there a recycling program? Can the landlord confirm that they make measurable savings on energy, water and garbage? Do they avoid the use of toxic cleaning products and other office supplies? These are some of the major factors in an environmentally friendly space, but don’t forget about more aesthetic factors, like natural lighting or open spaces with greenery. Try to gather as much information as you can about these initial questions through landlords, current tenants and your own visits to office spaces for rent in Overland Park, KS.
4. Is the building LEED Certified?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is the 1994 program created to help support, certify and reward buildings that have certain green qualities. A lot of information is out there about LEED certified buildings, which need to meet a number of qualifications to achieve certification. For a building to become LEED certified it must complete a number of green projects ranging from planting drought-tolerant and native plants to installing rain water collection systems. Buildings are rated through a point system based on these projects. If a building is LEED certified, this is good external confirmation that they are really making an effort to be green.
2. What is their Energy Star rating?
Energy Star is a rating-based program started in 1992 through the EPA. They look at a number of factors, but tend to focus on the conservation of energy, pollution and water. To be included on this Energy Star list a business needs to meet certain criteria for energy consciousness in the building’s management. One way of doing that is making sure that management posts signs that encourage conservation, buys paper products with recycled material, and tries to eliminate water bottle consumption among employees. Beyond just your initial questions and observations, this is an another objective way for you to check if the property owner is truly trying to be environmentally conscious.
3. Can you save energy and costs on transportation?
Can your employees walk or bike to work? How far away is your business from public transport or residential neighborhoods? Having employees drive to work every morning means more emissions and a higher environmental impact – walkability and transportation are key things to think about if your business is truly serious about lowering your footprint. There are several websites that calculate the potential walkability of the business you are looking at; these will include everything from bike lanes and hills to parks and car shares.
If your business is interested in finding a green office space for lease in Overland Park, KS, keep these questions in mind as you do your research and visit potential spaces.
Looking to rent office space Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 for more information about our available spaces!