We’re thrilled to share that our team at Avalon Mall has received the City of St. John’s Corporate Climate Change Leadership Award!
Presented in April by Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary, this award recognizes organizations that are working diligently to build a greener future, which is an understatement when it comes to the efforts the team has made to reduce Avalon Mall’s carbon footprint!
“Understanding the impact a nearly 600,000 square foot building can have on the environment, Avalon Mall is committed to leading by example when it comes to sustainable operations. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of team members, client collaboration, and adherence to industry best practice, Avalon Mall has made great strides in reducing its carbon footprint and continues to find new ways to grow their sustainable efforts,” says Property Manager Jamie Stroh.
Here are a few of the reasons why Avalon Mall received this award:
- In the Fall of 2019, Avalon Mall purchased and installed an in-vessel composter to divert organic waste from the landfill. Two sorting stations, known as “Tray Valets”, were added to the Food Court, and all public-use waste receptacles were removed. Customers were asked to bring their trays to the stations, where Crombie staff sorted the refuse into refundables, organics, and waste. The on-site composter has diverted over 200,000lbs of organic waste from the landfill to-date.
- In April 2022, based on the results of a waste audit, Avalon Mall expanded its already impressive diversion streams by adding mixed containers to the types of materials that could be separated. This type of collection program had never been done at the commercial level and scale in NL before, but after working with local haulers, the program was launched to all 140 retailers. “Blue bag” items such as tin cans, milk cartons, and plastic containers can now be separated from the waste stream. Currently, Avalon Mall oversees 13 different waste diversion streams, and the combined efforts of the retailers and mall staff have helped to grow in centre’s waste diversion rate from 31% to 44%.
- In April 2023, Avalon Mall launched Oscar, an Artificial Intelligence waste assistance, at one the Tray Valets. The interactive system helps customers separate and properly dispose of their garbage into the various streams and monitors how successfully the waste is being diverted.
- In October 2023 Avalon Mall also received a Leadership Organization Award in Newfoundland Power’s Luminary Awards program, which celebrates organizations that are shining examples in a variety of categories.
Over the last few years, Avalon Mall has made many energy-efficient changes and upgrades, including converting lighting to LED, installing occupancy sensors, educating tenants with energy conservation best practices, and creating an action plan for annual energy improvements. These goals and actions have helped reduce the building’s annual energy consumption by 1.5 million kW. Read more about the Luminary Awards HERE.
- Last, but certainly not least, we can’t forget that Avalon Mall is a certified BOMA BEST Gold building and BOMA Canada’s 2022 Outstanding Building of the Year recipient.
When asked about the award, Donna Vincent, General Manager reflected “the passion and dedication to enhancing environmental initiatives at Avalon Mall is shared across the team. That, coupled with the ongoing partnership with our tenants, has helped achieve these impactful results. Thank you to everyone who worked diligently to realize these successes.”
Please join us in congratulating the entire team!
