By Noa Glouberman
Many malls on Business in Vancouver’s 2010 list of the Biggest Shopping Centres in B.C. (see page 26) say going green makes good business sense.
Take Metropolis at Metrotown, No. 1 on this year’s list. In 2008, the 1.7-million-square-foot mall began implementing its public Earth Day electronics recycling program and distributing a “green guide” to residents in the community.
“Metropolis is an icon in this neighbourhood and in a unique position to be a leader in sustainability,” said community and public relations manager Brenda Longland. “It’s up to us to set a good example. We take that role seriously.”
To date, Metropolis has reduced electricity use by replacing less-efficient bulbs with LED lights and provided retailers an opportunity to recycle paper, tin and glass. The mall recently started composting organic waste from its 1,100-seat food court and partnered with Richmond’s Marquise Group to test a Chrysler GEM electric car to supplement its fleet.
“It replaces one of four standard half-tonne pickup trucks,” Longland said of the zero-emission vehicle. “After a year of putting it through all the routine functions, such as hauling garbage and moving pallets, in all the various weather conditions, we’re working toward purchasing more GEM vehicles so that we have a 50% balance in our working fleet.”
West Vancouver’s Park Royal Shopping Centre has also implemented some unique environmental programs alongside the standard industry initiatives. Employees, for example, don uniforms made of recycled material and, last December, the mall introduced a line of sustainable gift-wrap, commissioning a local artist to develop six designs with natural themes, including ladybugs and an image of the Lions Gate Bridge.
“All our gift wrap is made from 100% post-consumer waste, and instead of synthetic ribbons we decorate packages with hemp string,” added Nancy Small, director of marketing and sustainability. “As part of our ongoing commitment to sustainability we felt it was important to offer these environmentally friendly options to our customers.”
Park Royal’s common areas are also awash in the mall’s green spirit.
“We partnered with a local company, Upholstery Arts, to create Cradle to Cradle seating,” said Small. “Basically when the seating is worn out we return it to the manufacturer to disassemble and recycle the material.”
Coquitlam’s main mall does its share for the environment, too. According to marketing manager Deborah Stetz, “We consider ourselves to be a strong community leader. People definitely notice what we’re up to, and we try to let them know what we’re doing in terms of environmental performance.”
One well-advertised Coquitlam Centre initiative is its “green room” recycling program. In 2008, two rooms were set aside for mall workers to bring plastics, hangers, beverage containers, fluorescent light bulbs, shrink wrap, paper, batteries, milk crates and bread bins for recycling or safe disposal. The spaces are large, clean and well organized and require a special entry pass to ensure the process isn’t compromised.
According to Metro Waste Paper Recovery Inc., which handles the mall’s recyclables, in the program’s first full year:
- 299.7 tonnes of material was recovered;
- 43,000 kilograms of material was diverted from the landfill;
- 1,333,710 kilowatt hours of energy were saved;
- 7,941,260 litres of water were saved;
- 784.5 barrels of oil were saved; and
- 5,094 mature trees were saved.
“There’s been huge buy-in, with nearly 50% of our retailers taking part in the effort,” Stetz said, adding that some of Coquitlam Centre’s larger retailers, like London Drugs, have their own recycling programs in place. “It’s been so successful, we’re planning to add a third green room and looking into composting fruit and vegetable waste from the food court next year as well.”