River Park Goes Green with Carbon Footprint Reduction Plan!

Carbon Footprint Reduction Team

Aric Olson

President, Jain Irrigation & ETwater

Richard Caglia

IWS/Caglia Environmental

GOAL #1: Reduce Water Use

Led by Landscape Architect, Terry Broussard & Aric Olson, President of Jain Irrigation & ETwater

At River Park, we will be planting over 3,700 low water use plants. This will save over 145,000 gallons of water, annually! We are embracing plant science research to ensure that the plants growing on our property require as little water as possible.

We are also modernizing and installing all new smart irrigation by installing over 38,000 linear feet of drip irrigation that eliminate overspray. The system will be equipped with all new weather based smart controllers that look a weather forecast, and create an irrigation schedule that matches the need of the plant and soil type. We first installed smart irrigation in 2016. Since then, Jain Irrigation has helped us save millions of gallons of water, and we are excited to take these efforts to the next phase.

GOAL #2: increase our renewable energy production

Led by President of Barrier Solar, Blair Cunnings

We are increasing the use of Renewable Energy by installing many large solar arrays throughout our properties, along with the conversion to cool roofing. This goal is already well underway. We have all new solar arrays on Regal Cinemas, Park View Plaza, JoAnn Fabrics, and soon to be Cost Plus World Market. Just to give you an idea, Regal Cinemas alone will eliminate over 22,554 tons of CO2 from our carbon footprint of the life of the system… Amazing Right?

GOAL #3: Improve Efficiency of HVAC Systems

Led by CFO of Patton Air Conditioning, Steve Gejeian

While speaking of energy…we are working to improve the overall efficiency of our mechanical systems. Together, we have worked to retrofit all of the mechanical systems at our office properties with medical grade systems. We have increased the filtration by implementing MERV 11 or 15 filters. And all of our systems now use a process called Bi-Polar Ionization. This process breaks down pollutants such as pollen, smoke and other pathogens into smaller particles that are then captured in the filter. To top it all off, all of our systems are equipped with a full energy management system that allows us the ability to optimize the comfort and the health of tenants in each building, all while minimizing energy usage. We are now using only what we need, when we need it. All of the recent Mechanical System upgrades have eliminated over 2,740 tons of carbon dioxide from the carbon footprint of the buildings. The upgrades have also saved 2.8 million gallons of water through the cooling tower upgrades associated with these projects.

GOAL #4: Increase Recycling & Landfill Diversion

Led by Richard Caglia with Caglia Environmental

Recycling plays a vital role in the reduction of our carbon footprint. Our efforts are paying off when it comes to Recycling and Landfill diversion! With the current diversion requirement of 50%, we are far exceeding all expectations. To give you an idea, in December of 2021 we generated 223 tons of waste, and recycled 73% of it! To continue these efforts, we plan to add recycling bins throughout our common areas, so that guests of our properties can help us lead the way in recycling.

GOAL #5: Increased Safety & Lighting Upgrades

Led by Aharon Davoyan with NRG Incentives

Safety is a main priority at River Park properties. That includes the safety of guests, staff, tenants, and employees. This stage involves a couple different layers, with the first being directly tied into carbon footprint reduction. Lighting plays a major role in our shopping center & office environment once the sun goes down. We have successfully retrofitted all of our exterior parking lighting to LED. By participating in PG&E LED retrofitting programs at all of our commercial properties, our efforts have resulted in nearly 3 million in total kilowatt hour savings.

As we continue our LED upgrade efforts within our existing tenant spaces, we are striving to reduce energy and maintenance while also improving safety and security. Since 2011, we have increased our camera count from 17 to over 100 cameras. Our team works directly with Fresno Police Department, where all surveillance equipment is integrated directly into their access control.

LEED Certifications with the U.S. Green Building Council

As you can tell, our focus on improved environment and human health performance shows in many ways, and the last significant element is our commitment to sustainable building. These efforts show through a Green Building Certification process called the the LEED Rating system. Many of our office buildings have been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED provides the framework for healthy, efficient, carbon and cos-savings green building and is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. We are proud to say that some of our buildings are now rated amongst the highest rating under this system, and in the Central Valley… Way to go team!

There is a need to increase sustainability in the Valley and we are proud to be doing our part. Our specialized team is committed to being environmentally sensitive, and now, more than ever, are working tirelessly to reduce our carbon footprint across the entirety of our properties. We strongly believe that this plan of reducing, reusing and retrofitting will all work together in helping reduce our carbon footprint and ultimately make for a cleaner and safer Fresno.

Let’s Explore Together at River Park… And now in an even more responsible and energy efficient way than before.

Park View Plaza

LEED O+M, recertified Platinum – 2017

THE ROWELL BUILDING

LEED CORE AND SHELL GOLD – 2020

Campus Pointe

LEED BD+C Master Site Certification – 2016