Environmental

At Avanath, we believe that our environment is the foundation upon which health, safety, and overall well being is built. We are committed to environmental stewardship, and we continually assess our impact at each of our properties. We have set data-driven goals and implemented policies, procedures, and upgrades to reduce our emissions and operating costs.

The objectives below are designed to drive value through reducing emissions and operating costs, mitigate risk-exposure for climate events, and provide healthy and safe environments for our residents.

our environment

Goals and Objectives

Reducing

Energy consumption
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)

Increasing

Waste diversion
Water efficiency

Performing

Energy audits or technical assessments
LED retrofits

Tracking

Energy, GHG, water, and waste data
Outcomes of ongoing conservation measures

Obtaining

Higher average ENERGY STAR® scores
Green building certifications

Our Approach

Environmental responsibility starts with having high quality data and strong data management. Avanath is monitoring energy, water, and waste information for each property and using it to critically assess that property’s environmental performance and evaluate opportunities for improvement. Our data is collected through ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®, an industry-standard tool for benchmarking and monitoring consumption and we have used it to set reduction targets like the ones highlighted below.

SETS ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS DRIVEN BY DATA

GHG Emission Reduction

Initiating a GHG inventory to include Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions
Developing and administering an energy conservation measure survey across the 90+ Avanath multifamily properties

aerial view of residential building, surrounding streets, and hills in background, taken on a sunny day

TARGETS TO REDUCE PORTFOLIO-WIDE GHG EMISSIONS 50% BY 2030 & NET ZERO BY 2050

Energy Management

Avanath is actively working to reduce energy usage and associated costs by monitoring consumption, utilizing efficient equipment, and incorporating energy management best practices. We actively monitor energy efficiency at each of our properties to reduce energy usage and identify property-specific opportunities for improvement. Our tactics to reduce our impact include:

Partnering with ENERGY STAR® to install ENERGY STAR certified appliances at our properties
Retrofitting properties with LED lighting
Requiring all third-party energy supply to be produced from green sources

sidewalk view of residential building, stairs leading to building, surrounding landscaping, photo taken on a sunny day

HAS DECREASED TOTAL PORTFOLIO-WIDE ENERGY CONSUMPTION 30%

Water Conservation

Avanath continually seeks to optimize water efficiency across our portfolio. We do this by monitoring usage and implementing cost-effective water strategies, fixtures, and technologies. Our tactics to reduce our impact include:

Installing drip-smart irrigation or planting drought-resistant vegetation
Installing aerators, low-flow toilets, and shower heads at select properties

drip smart suspended hoses, water trickling down from hoses onto manicured lawn

HAS DECREASED TOTAL PORTFOLIO-WIDE WATER CONSUMPTION 13%

Waste Diversion

Avanath is dedicated to reducing our communities’ waste through waste management strategies that improve our diversion rate. Our tactics to reduce our impact include:

Utilizing Yardi to track our waste data and progress
Educating and building resident awareness around waste tracking and reduction
Utilizing recycling opportunities and encouraging residents to do the same
Requiring measurable landfill weight contributions for all trash contracts with private vendors
Signed a national contract with waste management to track our contributions to the landfill

Healthy Buildings

The health of our residents and employees can be affected by the places they live and work. We are dedicated to delivering buildings that are safe and promote wellness for everyone within them. This includes restricting the use of products known to be harmful to human health and routinely testing the environmental quality within our buildings. Our tactics include:

Performing regular indoor air quality tests
Monitoring water quality
Using paints and finishes in our buildings with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Working to achieve WELL certification

Certifications

As a leader in the multifamily and affordable housing industry, Avanath is building a best-in-class environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework to share with our peers. We will demonstrate the success of our progress by setting and achieving high quality goals and earning rigorous, best-in-industry certifications.

STRIVES TO EARN ENERGY STAR® PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARD BY 2023

Our Targets

50%

Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2030

Net Zero

Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050

ACHIEVED

10%

Less Energy Consumption by 2025

See updated data in our Demonstrating Progress section below.

ACHIEVED

10%

Less Water Consumption by 2025

See updated data in our Demonstrating Progress section below.

We are in progress of gathering our second year of consumption data and will post year-over-year progress toward our targets here once they are released.

Demonstrating Progress Click the icons below to learn about successful projects!

2021 GHG, Energy, and Water Consumption Data

38,605 Metric Tons CO2e*
94539 MWh** Total Energy Consumption in 2021
- Down 30% from a 2020 baseline
456780 kGal** Total Water Consumption in 2021
- Down 13% from a 2020 baseline

ENERGY STAR® Certifications and Partnership

Avanath’s 2M property was the first to be ENERGY STAR certified. We are working to obtaining ENERGY STAR certification for 10 more properties and we anticipate being awarded the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year by the end of 2022. It is our policy to always install ENERGY STAR Certified appliances within our portfolio.

Focusing on Carbon Reduction

We are in the process of implementing a comprehensive carbon strategy to support carbon reduction targets. We compute an annual GHG inventory that includes scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions and use this data to identify reduction opportunities. The Avanath Carbon Strategy uses the 1.5°C CRREM GHG and energy pathways as our benchmark.

Utilizing Solar Technologies

We have engaged a specialized solar energy consulting firm to help us develop a portfolio wide solar strategy across our portfolio. By installing photovoltaic (PV) energy systems at our properties we will be able to generate clean power and bring down energy costs for ourselves and our residents.

Flush with Water Savings

We are piloting a program for a new water conservation product that we hope will reduce water usage by a minimum of 14% and prevent costly leaks at our properties. We are also using Smart Rain technology to measure the moisture in the ground for more efficient irrigation at our Southwest properties.

Sourcing Green Power

To optimize our energy usage, it is our policy to procure green energy whenever feasible. We recently engaged Transparent Energy to help us create a renewable energy credit and offset strategy to aide in our green power procurement efforts.

Expanding Our Community Gardens

Many of our newer communities maintain a community garden on the property. We plan to roll out more community gardens across our portfolio, as well as promote composting programs where applicable.

Bee Inspired

We began a pilot program to install bee colonies at our properties to help combat the decreasing bee population. Through our partnership with Alvéole, we will be able to track each colony’s biodiversity and measure the health of the bees, while engaging residents in making a positive impact on the environment.

* Emissions are direct (scope 1) and indirect (scope 2 and scope 3 emissions from resident energy use) and include carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and methane. Data includes both actual and estimated emissions for our operations.

** Since 2020 baseline the Avanath portfolios have changed in size and location due to acquiring and selling of properties, risk tolerance, growth, economic factors. Total energy data coverage area for 2021 was 43% of portfolio and water data coverage was 66% of the portfolio and those numbers were externally verified using AA1000AS.

Our Strategic Environmental Partners

Learn more about our policies and programs on the ESG Overview, Environmental, Social, Governance, and ESG Policies pages.