BOMA Canada is kicking off a national review of the BOMA BESt environmental certification program by inviting BOMA members and other interested parties to submit recommendations on how to improve BOMA BESt. To participate in the 2010 BOMA BESt Review, go to www.bomabest.com/recommendation/ to submit comments and feedback on the BOMA BESt program.
The technical and content review of BOMA BESt will build on the lessons learned by the thousands of applicants and associated stakeholders who are familiar with the program. Comments can be as specific as the wording of a particular question, or more general about the program overall. BOMA Canada recognizes the need to perform a thorough review of all of the BOMA BESt assessments that are currently available and capture the input of the real estate industry.
The multi-faceted approach to the Review includes an opportunity for direct input from BOMA communities across Canada. Anyone can provide recommendations through the BOMA BESt website. BOMA local associations across Canada will be engaging their local environmental committees and members to provide recommendations for improving the program. In addition, a third-party consultant review will also be conducted to further inform the process, before a national committee makes final recommendations on changes to be implemented in 2011.
The core objective of the 2010 BOMA BESt Review is to ensure that the BOMA BESt assessment questions and best practices continue to reflect the realities of real estate operations. This includes ensuring that the program is up to date, and providing better resources and documentation to applicants. Industry input will help to identify where further guidance or technical specifications would be helpful to applicants and provide the right information.
Over five successful years, BOMA BESt has evolved from its roots as Go Green and Go Green Plus to a four-level certification program with specific evaluations for office buildings, light industrial properties, enclosed shopping centres, and open air retail centres. Since 2005, nearly 1400 buildings have achieved BOMA BESt certification which is valid for three years, and 1100 buildings in Canada currently hold the certification. Building on the experience of all those buildings and their partners during the 2010 BOMA BESt Review, BOMA Canada and the regional BOMA associations across the country will continue to provide a strong BOMA BESt certification program for real estate in Canada.