Tishman Speyer Joins Zero Waste Zones

Colony Square and Midtown Plaza joined the Zero Waste Zones!  Tishman Speyer stepped forward with the zero waste exploration commitment for their two Midtown properties.

The timing is impeccable as Midtown is in the midst of a green evolution with the March launch of Greenprint Midtown, Creating the South’s first Urban Eco-District. Greenprint Midtown is a Midtown Alliance program in partnership with Southface and Sustainable Atlanta. See the ZWA Blog post, Greenprint Midtown Launches, for details on the program launch.

At the April 17 Greenprint Midtown Interactive Visioning Session, proposed strategy #3 under the Waste Focus was the following:

Colony Square

Encourage the participation of all Midtown foodservice industries in the Zero Waste Zones program through communications and an incentive program.  Expand use of compost in district landscapes creating demand for this waste stream.

Elemental Impact founder Holly Elmore was a facilitator at the session and serves on the Greenprint Waste Technical Advisory Council.  The Ei FB album, 04-17-12 Greenprint Midtown Vision Event, includes a pictorial recap of the event. 

Midtown Plaza

In March, Holly presented on the Sustainable Food Court Initiative at the Building Owners and Managers Association Atlanta Chapter's Green Real Estate Summit tag-team style with Adam Glasgow of WastePro.  After attending the presentation, Thomas Wright, T-S director of engineering, contacted Holly about how Colony Square would benefit by joining the ZWZ and SFCI programs. 


Tishman Speyer's commitment is the impetus to create a zero waste template for office complexes, with and without food courts.  Again, with impeccable timing Ei Partner Heritage Interactive Services visited Atlanta for a powerful two-day mini meeting marathon with T-S the first meeting.  HIS is a logistics management company focused on zero waste goals and improving bottom lines.  For an overview of HIS's Atlanta visit along with the seeds planted for exciting new projects, see the ZWA Blog  post, Emerging Trend: Recycling PROFIT Centers.

Ei | HIS | T-S meeting group

The plan is to showcase how it makes solid business sense to source-separate material, previously called "trash", where generated and aggregate it for sale as a valuable commodity.  Significant quantity is required for an on-site recycling system to cover its costs and contribute to the bottom line.  Colony Square and Midtown Plaza are assumed to generate the quantity necessary to develop a stage one template.


Once a single-facility plan is established, the Ei team will take the next step where individual businesses work in collaboration to create the quantities necessary for the economics to work.  Early seeds were planted for creative collaboration during the HIS meeting series.


A pioneering spirit is necessary for industry leaders to step away from established standard operating practices and embrace | create systems that complement the triple-line business model.  Founding ZWZ Participants were pioneers in back-of-the-house food residual collection.  These heroes worked through the glitches and developed an easy, effective system. Thanks to their determination, a common refrain among seasoned participants is " it is so easy, a no-brainer."


Tishman Speyer came forth with the same enthusiasm as the Founding ZWZ Participants:  As long as the bottom line is improved, let's move forward and work together. Collaboration is key to success and the team players are lining up!


Stay tuned to the ZWA Blog for tales from the zero waste office building journey!