New Hyde Park-based Kimco Realty is touting its energy-saving and environmental efforts in its latest corporate responsibility report.
The real estate investment trust’s report released earlier this week provides an account of its 2017 performance on environmental, social and governance issues.
Kimco was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for the third time last year, the only retail REIT on the index, according to the report.
In other highlights, Kimco invested a total of $11.4 million for 238 sustainable improvement projects; achieved a 4.12 percent reduction in same-site greenhouse gas emissions between 2016 and 2017; diverted a quarter of all operational waste (55,491 metric tons) from landfills or incinerators; and produced 3,143 megawatt hours of solar energy.
Kimco also logged 824 hours of employee volunteer service through the company’s Community Connection program and contributed a total of $108,000 towards a variety of charitable causes.
“Adaptation to change is perhaps one of the most significant contributing factors to sustainability and it is especially critical in this time of transformation in the retail industry,” Conor Flynn, Kimco CEO, said in a written statement. “At its core, sustainability is about building a business that will stand the test of time. Our efforts are expanding the boundaries of sustainability within the REIT industry, moving beyond a traditional single-issue focus on environmental performance to include employee, community and vendor performance.”
As of March 31, 2018, Kimco owned interests in 475 U.S. shopping centers comprising 81 million square feet of leasable space located primarily in major metropolitan markets.