Green Storage Space Becomes A Brand
February 11th, 2009 by greenforNYCHall Street Self Storage, which in May 2008 opened as the first green self-storage space in the country, is taking another bold step into greening an unlikely industry. Hall Street Self Storage has become iStoreGreen, a brand that solidifies the commitment to green self-storage. The iStoreGreen brand allows for a nationwide network of green self-storage spaces. Right now, under the brand, new green efforts are furthering the Brooklyn facility’s already “true green” status. And a site for the next iStoreGreen facility, which will add a Manhattan branch to the current Brooklyn one, is being located. Visions for iStoreGreen franchises, where green self-storage spaces can be created under the name across the country, are steadily being drawn into reality.
After seeing New Yorkers’ positive response to the option of green self-storage, owner Jeffrey E. Sitt started a mission to make it national: “There’s green dry cleaning, and even green wines available today—self-storage needs to be greened, too, especially since it’s an industry that can use a lot of energy and materials, and is one which people use every day, not a few times a week. It needs to be accessible.”
When Hall Street Self Storage pioneered the idea of green self-storage and opened across from Steiner Studios about a mile from DUMBO, it drew headlines and customers with its green efforts. For its purchase of 100% renewable energy certified by Green-E* for its electricity, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility News’ said: “Hall Street Storage’s purchase of electricity generated from nearly emissions-free renewable sources avoids CO2 emissions…By investing in clean, renewable energy, Hall Street Storage has given their customers the opportunity to support a company that raises awareness and inspires action…and we applaud their outstanding commitment.”
Hall Street also became a model for showing that living green doesn’t have to cost more, and can in fact save green, with rates that are at least 50% percent lower than Manhattan self-storage spaces, and less than its Brooklyn neighbors. Beyond clean energy, it became known for creative green actions like offering biodegradable packing peanuts, clean reused packing boxes, smart green alternatives to bubble wrap like shredded paper from the office’s paper shredder, and a room for those who store to place discarded items that are given to local charity, rather than thrown into dumpsters and then landfills as with other storage spaces. There are many other green actions.
Now, under the iStoreGreen brand, still more green actions have been added, including desks for the company’s offices and shelving for the storage spaces made from the wood reclaimed from the remodel of the Brooklyn building; solar hot water heating; and the creation of a booklet (printed on recycled paper with soy ink) given to customers and members of the local community with ideas for taking green home with them. Future plans include innovative ideas like a fleet of Pedi vans, which will use cycling power to transfer local residents’ possessions to their storage spaces for a zero-emissions move.
Beginning with the Brooklyn facility, the iStoreGreen brand shows how the integrity and friendliness associated with green products and services extends into other areas of the customer experience. For instance, quality is a priority: This is the first self-storage company to use a double-lock system whereby the company and also the person locks the storage space. And a sense of comfort and ease is another: The company has a concierge-like service in which customers are escorted to and from their storage spaces, and the storage spaces themselves are a clear departure from those of leading self-storage companies–colorful, cheery, and bright, with elements like (quality) overhead music playing to make the experience civilized.
For more info, go to: iStoreGreen.com.
* Since 1997, the Green-e logo has served as a nationally recognized symbol to help consumers identify environmentally superior renewable energy products. Green-e certifies that the renewable energy that iStoreGreen purchases meets strict environmental and consumer protection standards. Green-e is the nation’s leading renewable energy certification program, and was established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions.
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