Vornado Realty Trust is pleased to announce theMART has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification at the Gold Level. This accomplishment marks the third LEED Certification for theMART, having first attained the prestigious LEED designation in 2007 and re-certification in 2013.
theMART’s sustainability program began over 15 years ago with energy efficiency retrofits and sound energy management. These programs have resulted in over $1 million of annual cost savings and 23 percent of total energy savings for the building. The building’s energy efficiency is a key contributor to the reduction of theMART’s carbon footprint, eliminating 14,500 metric tons of annual CO2 emissions which is equivalent to removing 2,400 passenger cars from roadways annually. theMART recently expanded its promotion of carbon-free commuting with the installation of over 350 bicycle storage racks in an area where parking for 20 cars once existed. Also contributing to LEED certification for theMART is its 7,200-square-foot recycling facility, where staff pre-sorts and weighs all waste before it leaves the building resulting in 3,245 tons of the building’s waste stream being recycled last year.