Edens & Avant Announces Sustainability News for Earth Day 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C., April 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebrating Earth Day 2011, Edens & Avant announces that it has reduced common area energy consumption throughout its east coast portfolio of retail properties by approximately 13 percent just one of the many sustainability measures the company has embraced in recent years.

"As one of the leading retail real estate owners and developers in the country, Edens & Avant understands the impact we have on local communities as well as the world at-large," said Jodie W. McLean, President of Edens & Avant. "Over the last several years we have made sustainable building and operating practices one of our main priorities and we continually work with our construction and property management teams as well as our retail partners to find innovative ways to lessen our environmental impact."

In order to reduce common area energy use in its portfolio of 124 retail properties, Edens & Avant began auditing its lighting systems to understand precisely how they were controlled and what circuitry was used. Once the data was collected, property management looked at various methods to reduce costs, including the retrofitting of 1000-watt HPS (high pressure sodium lights) with 775-watt MH (metal halide) and adding wireless lighting controls. The MH fixtures provided a higher quality light that resulted in a safer environment and a 20 percent reduction in energy use in some properties. The wireless lighting control also allowed property managers to individually control each head on a fixture, reducing energy consumption an additional 25-30 percent in other properties. Collectively, there has been an overall 13 percent reduction in energy consumption and an anticipated additional 10 percent further reduction.

Edens & Avant has also ramped up its water-conservation programs in the past few years and is realizing reductions of up to 25 percent. In 2008, the Company established a usage baseline by measuring its common-area water use system wide. The following year it performed comprehensive water audits of all properties that use irrigation. With these audits, property managers learned to better monitor irrigation systems based on growing cycles and weather conditions. Usage adjustments were made biweekly throughout 2010 with new plantings carefully selected using drought-tolerant species.

In addition to its own sustainable initiatives, Edens & Avant also introduced a "Sustainability Practices Guide" for its retailers. This portfolio wide initiative included a comprehensive list of recommendations to help retailers reduce their environmental impact that could, in turn, also help their bottom line energy costs.

About Edens & Avant: Edens & Avant develops, owns and operates neighborhood shopping centers in primary markets throughout the East Coast. Focusing on innovative development and redevelopment together with key acquisitions in urban areas, the Company has built an institutional-quality portfolio of 124 retail centers. Edens & Avant has Regional Headquarters in Atlanta, Boston, Washington DC, Miami and Columbia, SC. For additional information about the Company and its retail real estate portfolio, please visit www.edensandavant.com.

SOURCE Edens & Avant