Latest thinking on engaging tenants to drive sustainability strategies
What are the secrets to helping tenants to embrace carbon positive business practices and behaviours?
Property managers from around Sydney came together on Wednesday 7 March to unpack this conundrum.
The benefits of working with tenants are clear: better access to data, greater compliance with building systems, cleaner waste streams, improved health and productivity of building occupants, and clearer communication with key stakeholders among them.
BBP recently released a new evidence-based report that outlines seven key principals of tenant engagement. These are:
- Know your audience: Tailor your approach to meet the business drivers, cultures, attitudes and capabilities of each tenant.
- Make it easy: Recognise that tenants have limited time and resources, so ensure changes are easy to understand and easy to achieve.
- Make it attractive: Demonstrate the multiple benefits that net zero can deliver – from lower utility costs to greater energy security, and from enhanced investor appeal to fewer risks.
- Make it social: People respond positively when they can work as a team, take on a collective challenge, and when they see others changing their behaviour.
- Make it timely: Align your tenant engagement initiatives with other programs and avoid busy work periods.
- Encourage commitment: Create opportunities for individuals and teams to make public promises to work towards carbon positive.
- Provide continuity: Acknowledge that large-scale change takes time and more than a single initiative, so plan to engage your tenants over the long-term.
Keep your eye out for a new tenant engagement lead challenge currently being developed by the BBP team.
And if you’d like to roll up your sleeves and get more deeply involved in our work, join our Technical Working Group.
Please contact Alberto Jimenez Tobia, Better Buildings Partnership Support Officer, on (02) 9246 7277 or AJimenez@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au to find out more.