FirstService Residential Helps Launch Mayor’s Organic Food Waste Recycling Program
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 06, 2013 -- Morningside Heights Housing Corp., a cooperative managed by FirstService Residential, previously known as Cooper Square Realty, was among a handful of residential properties selected to participate in New York City’s Organic Food Waste Recycling Pilot Program, which aims to reduce the amount of post consumer waste that ends up in landfills.
The pilot program’s success prompted Mayor Bloomberg to announce its expansion on July 29 at a press conference held at the Morningside Heights complex, which comprises six buildings and 980 apartments. FirstService Residential’s Russell Jermyn, who serves as the property’s general manager, was invited to join the mayor in touting the program’s success.
“This is a fabulous opportunity to reduce the volume of materials sent to landfills and utilize the resulting organic material as fertilizer in our parks and neighborhood gardens,” says Lawrence D’Addona, MHHC Board President. Organics suitable for composting make up almost 30% of New York City’s residential and institutional waste stream. This includes food scraps, compostable paper – such as tissues, napkins, soiled paper, and paper plates – and other materials suitable for industrial-scale composting.
The program will be expanded to select high-rises in Manhattan, with neighborhoods in Brooklyn and the Bronx to follow this fall. Additional communities in those boroughs, as well as others in Queens and Staten Island, will begin recycling organics in the spring. The program will reach more than 100,000 residences by 2014.
As New York City’s largest residential management company, FirstService Residential is responsible for guiding decisions that impact more than 75 million sq. ft. of residential real estate. “We have an obligation to educate our clients about the many programs that exist – both within FirstService Residential and in conjunction with city agencies – to help their buildings operate in a more sustainable manner,” says David Kuperberg, President of FirstService Residential New York. “This is just one of many programs that are helping to ‘green’ our portfolio of more than 500 properties.”
FirstService Residential, for example, is helping its clients reduce energy costs and carbon emissions through its energy aggregation program. The company’s sizable portfolio enables it to negotiate reduced rates on natural gas and electricity, which saved clients nearly $1.5 million over the course of just five months last summer. On top of the financial savings, the program has helped reduce the carbon footprint of the company’s New York portfolio by 13 percent since being implemented.
“Our clients are realizing that a well designed energy management initiative is not only environmentally beneficial, but can also positively impact property values and balance sheets,” adds Kuperberg.
About FirstService Residential
FirstService Residential, previously known in New York as Cooper Square Realty, is a subsidiary of FirstService Corporation, a global leader in the rapidly growing real estate services sector, one of the largest markets in the world. As the largest residential property manager in North America, FirstService Residential oversees more than 6,000 properties and 1.5 million residential units across 19 U.S. states and three provinces in Canada. The company has more than 12,000 employees driving local market expertise and managing in excess of $6 billion in budgets. For more information, visit http://www.fsresidential.com
Dana Collins, FirstService Residential, +1 (212) 634-5495, [email protected]
Share this article