Shopping Centers Today

DEC 2016

Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)

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which offered General Growth remote access and online in- spection capabilities and the latest best practices in irrigation, was expanded to three other Houston properties. The net result was a cumulative water savings of some 56 million gallons in less than two years. "The system also has a drought-monitor feature that provides the programming and records necessary to ensure that we have an audit trail to negate any alleged wa- ter-restriction violations," said Roger Barber, a General Growth spokesman. General Growth is using native and indigenous plant materials in concert with the smart-irrigation technology at the centers, according to Barber, "and we don't envision the landscaping to become too austere or desert-looking." Kimco Realty Corp. uses an evapotranspiration-based irriga- tion web tool, which also downloads daily weather data and then doles out precisely how much water is needed. The system monitors water flow and sends out overuse alarms. Kimco has also piloted internal water-assessment and benchmarking pro- grams at its Western U.S. properties to identify retrofit opportu- nities, resulting in savings of 20 to 40 percent at the test sites. Other industry progress is evident. In 2015 sustainabili- ty-oriented Macerich reduced its water use by some 98.3 mil- lion gallons through measures that included use of smart-irri- gation controllers. At Simon malls, shopping center managers conserve water by planting mulch, which keeps plants and trees damp and combats evaporation — a strategy that Newport Beach, Calif.–based Caruso Affiliated also uses. Simon janitors employ pressure-wash machines that use less, sometimes recap- tured, water to blast out dirt from sidewalks and floors. Increasingly, retail landscapes at new shopping centers out West are being designed to recapture the area's scant amount of rainwater and return it to underground reservoirs, according to Berj Behesnilian, a principal at Lifescapes International. On the merchant side, Walmart leads the mass-market cate- gory in outdoor water-savings strategies and is now leaning on suppliers for transparency in their water usage. The retailer has increased its number of on-site water treatment plants to well over 1,000. On the small-tenant level, the fast-casual Wahoo's Fish Taco in Irvine Co.'s Fashion Island center is testing a sys- tem that prerinses dishes with an air compressor, resulting in savings of about 81 gallons per day. Commercial dishwashers account for more than two-thirds of a restaurant's overall water use, according to the Alliance for Water Efficiency. Shopping centers managers should treat their landscape not only as a cost center but also as a live part of a permanent pre- sentation, says Behesnilian. "You use plants as actors to help ful- fill the concept and design, but you also consider the whole and what's sustainable with your soil, then consider what it will look like in five, 10 or 20 years." The greatest tool is the mind, according to Mann. "Center managers just need to learn to educate themselves and make sure they think though all these components and concerns," he said. "There's more at stake now than ever." n KEEPING IT GREEN

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