The Greening of New York City: Building by Building
The greening of companies, buildings and even whole cities is big business these days. Just ask Avi Yashchin, CEO of Cleanedison, a New York City company that provides consulting and teaching services to businesses and professionals.
Cleanedison has educated hundreds of companies and thousands of individuals in sustainable building practices through customized guidance and a green training program in 49 different U.S. cities. The roster of sustainable courses includes the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), BPI (Building Performance Institute) Certification, Energy Auditing, and Solar, Wind and Renewable Energy.
Sounds boring? No way. Yashchin notes, “The energy auditing stuff is super sexy. Efficiency is the best way to save money. If you make a home efficient, you can save energy and a ton of money.”
Professionals are trained to audit everything from homes and apartment buildings to commercial developments. This involves making a sweep of the structure to determine where the energy faults are, incorporating changes and teaching the operators, staff (or home owner) strategies to efficiently execute a plan.
Yashchin started thinking about creating an alternative business in 2008. He notes, “It was when oil first reached $150 per barrel, and people didn’t flinch. I knew at that point that the U.S. had to do something big with the technology. We had to create a domestic energy supply.”
At the time he started three sustainable businesses — Carbonsub, a carbon offset business; Emerald Asset Management, a business that provided solar financing, packaged the loans and re-sold them to banks; and Cleanedison. After six months it became clear that the demand for education far surpassed the demand for later stage sustainable endeavors. “Education is the second largest industry in the country. There is more education debt than credit card debt and yet more and more of the “educated” are finding themselves out of work. I wanted to change that,” he explains.
Cleanedison started by offering shortterm one-to-six day courses people could take while going to work. The classes were designed to be affordable so that students didn’t have to take out massive school loans and didn’t require the student be unemployed while they trained. The idea caught on and soon the program expanded into training programs for utility companies, community colleges, unions and corporations.
“We now have 32 employees in the city developing and refining programs, as well as hundreds of instructors and subject matter experts (SME’S) throughout the country to pass on this valuable information,” says Yashchin.
The company’s client list includes familiar names, including the U.S. Air Force, Boeing, the city of San Jose, the University of Texas and the University of West Virginia. Cleanedison also runs the GO!! Series, a program that helps companies save up to 20 percent off energy costs.
“There are many ways to make a building or portfolio of buildings green,” says the CEO. The greening of a building could be as simple as fixing the heating or water systems or developing entire strategies to minimize the environmental impact and create a healthier atmosphere.
“Every single existing industry has or will have aspects of clean technology in the next decade,” says Yashchin. With new technology emerging as you read this, companies will be keen on incorporating efficiency practices into their philosophy.
To note, all of this clean technology translates to new jobs. For example, if you drive a natural gas-powered garbage truck, it’s a green job. If your business has upgraded to all hybrid vehicles, that’s a green concern. “Our classes turn electricians into solar thermal installers, home inspectors into Bpi-certified energy auditors, building contractors into Leed-certified professionals,” he adds.
Yashchin points out going green isn’t just financially prudent; it’s patriotic as well. “Having a solar panel on your roof is the equivalent of raising the American flag. If we want to prevent the dependence on foreign oil, creating practices like having a solar panel on your roof is necessary. It’s about championing energy that is in the U.S.!”
It’s also about staying competitive in the market place. According to the Department of Energy, 40 percent of energy consumed in the U.S. goes to buildings. This translates to around $400 billion in annual expenses.
“Energy programs these days are focused on health, safety, and comfort. Not only is your home insulated but also your exhaust works. It’s something that people need,” notes Yashchin.
The business owner is passionate about what he does. “Every time people get upset about seeing a ‘made in china’ sticker on something that used to be made here, pay too much for gasoline, see their jobs (or their friend’s jobs) go overseas or notice environmentally exacerbated health issues that plague our population and add to our tremendous health care bill, they need to realize there really is a lot we can do about it,” he notes. “Politicians need to stop using the terms ‘green’ and ‘sustainability’ as a wedge and start demanding changes.”
When asked what he thinks about the future of “the greening of NYC” Yashchin feels it could happen this year or ten years from now. “We are a far ways off from the ideal; there are many other major world cities currently doing a better job at being sustainable.”
Bottom line, Cleanedison is at the front of the sustainability movement.
Yashchin concludes, “Our business has been at the right place for the past four years.”
If you’re interested in knowing more about this growing job field (a rare thing, these days), take a trip to Cleanedison’s website. There are live people waiting to web chat and answer your questions.
For more information, call 1-888-513-3476 or visit www.cleanedison.com.