Kakariki Capital: Decarbonizing the Planet

Posted on by Real Leaders

Investing in carbon and environmental projects and assets could be key to moving the needle forward.


By Real Leaders

Kakariki Capital is on a mission to decarbonize the planet.

The privately owned, Australia-based company invests in carbon and environmental projects and assets — a new, rapidly expanding sector — from early stage pre-development to de-risked. Kakariki’s philosophy and purpose are reflected in its name, which refers to the color green in Maori and is also a parakeet native to New Zealand fighting to survive despite climate change.

Founder and Chief Investment Officer Izzy Jensen applies close to a decade of experience leading research and origination in carbon and environmental markets to guide Kakariki’s investments in environmental solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Core to its investment thesis is that carbon credits are crucial to achieving net-zero targets, and carbon credits make other global challenges bankable, such as biodiversity. Kakariki looks to identify assets that are fundamentally undervalued due to the complex nature of the carbon market. 

“While value is our major driver, investing behind our values is our passion,” Jensen says. Thus, Kakariki aims for exposure to reputable project developers, impactful projects for the environment, and projects that improve the lives of stakeholders. The organization manages individual management agreements, the wholesale Kakariki Carbon Fund 1.0, and the Kakariki Land Generation Fund.

Carbon Fund 1.0


Kakariki’s Carbon Fund 1.0 is the first fund of its kind in the Australian market that takes a long-term view of carbon credits and related assets. The wholesale, open-ended Australian unit trust invests in high-quality carbon assets and offsets. While the fund focuses on nature-based projects in the international market, it also invests in Australian and compliance market assets.

One key example, Verity Nature is a significant investment in Kakariki’s inaugural fund. As an integrated carbon project developer operating in Australia and East Africa, Verity Nature not only focuses on carbon emissions reduction, but it also prioritizes positive social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts within the communities in which it engages. Its projects create employment opportunities, support local communities, and generate wealth through wages, taxes, and business ventures while simultaneously removing carbon emissions and restoring biodiversity. 

Land Generation Fund


Kakariki recently launched its own land generation fund to acquire and steward land assets with substantial carbon sequestration potential. By employing innovative practices and technologies, it aims to maximize carbon offset generation while fostering biodiversity conservation.

“This will have a huge impact on restoring cleared and degraded land and enhancing biodiversity,” Jensen says. The fund’s overarching goal is to promote the harmonious coexistence of agricultural and carbon farming with a targeted distribution yield of 6–7% per annum, offering investors the option to generate income from cash, Australian carbon credit units, or other environmental credits with a targeted 12–14% total internal rate of return. 

Looking ahead, Jensen says there’s no time to waste when it comes to decarbonizing the planet. “In the imperfect landscape of carbon and environmental markets, perfection is a luxury our climate and planet cannot afford,” Jensen says. “It’s imperative to act now to simultaneously reduce emissions and offset our environmental impact. Let us harness every available tool at our disposal to forge a sustainable path forward for the sake of our planet and the generations to come.” 

Recognition for Collaboration


Kakariki earned a 2024 Real Leaders Impact Award for Best Collaboration with Impact Outfit. Impact Outfit, also based in Australia, supports family offices, foundations, and funds to use business and capital for positive impact. It works with clients on strategy and advisory, stakeholder engagement, and experience design and curation. The partnership advanced both companies’ sustainability goals while fostering mutual growth and success. 

When Kakariki was a newly established carbon fund, it sought guidance from Impact Outfit to maximize its impact and reach and to create and nurture sustainable relationships with investors and family offices. Leveraging Impact Outfit’s expertise in the impact investment space, the collaboration enabled Kakariki to identify high-impact investment opportunities and build a network of values-aligned potential partners.

“The collaboration was meaningful to us because when Kakariki first started, we didn’t really know what the impact space was,” Jensen says. “We just saw this as a financial opportunity that obviously did good. Then we learned that there was this whole group of investors and this way of thinking about having a positive impact.”

Conversely, Impact Outfit gained experience and exposure through its partnership with Kakariki. By working closely with Jensen, Impact Outfit expanded its portfolio of impactful clients and built expertise in a nascent and important new market. It gained firsthand insights into the complexities of carbon offsetting and sustainable investment, enhancing its ability to advise clients on navigating similar challenges.

Kakariki Capital: Decarbonizing the Planet

Posted on by Real Leaders

Investing in carbon and environmental projects and assets could be key to moving the needle forward.


By Real Leaders

Kakariki Capital is on a mission to decarbonize the planet.

The privately owned, Australia-based company invests in carbon and environmental projects and assets — a new, rapidly expanding sector — from early stage pre-development to de-risked. Kakariki’s philosophy and purpose are reflected in its name, which refers to the color green in Maori and is also a parakeet native to New Zealand fighting to survive despite climate change.

Founder and Chief Investment Officer Izzy Jensen applies close to a decade of experience leading research and origination in carbon and environmental markets to guide Kakariki’s investments in environmental solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Core to its investment thesis is that carbon credits are crucial to achieving net-zero targets, and carbon credits make other global challenges bankable, such as biodiversity. Kakariki looks to identify assets that are fundamentally undervalued due to the complex nature of the carbon market. 

“While value is our major driver, investing behind our values is our passion,” Jensen says. Thus, Kakariki aims for exposure to reputable project developers, impactful projects for the environment, and projects that improve the lives of stakeholders. The organization manages individual management agreements, the wholesale Kakariki Carbon Fund 1.0, and the Kakariki Land Generation Fund.

Carbon Fund 1.0


Kakariki’s Carbon Fund 1.0 is the first fund of its kind in the Australian market that takes a long-term view of carbon credits and related assets. The wholesale, open-ended Australian unit trust invests in high-quality carbon assets and offsets. While the fund focuses on nature-based projects in the international market, it also invests in Australian and compliance market assets.

One key example, Verity Nature is a significant investment in Kakariki’s inaugural fund. As an integrated carbon project developer operating in Australia and East Africa, Verity Nature not only focuses on carbon emissions reduction, but it also prioritizes positive social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts within the communities in which it engages. Its projects create employment opportunities, support local communities, and generate wealth through wages, taxes, and business ventures while simultaneously removing carbon emissions and restoring biodiversity. 

Land Generation Fund


Kakariki recently launched its own land generation fund to acquire and steward land assets with substantial carbon sequestration potential. By employing innovative practices and technologies, it aims to maximize carbon offset generation while fostering biodiversity conservation.

“This will have a huge impact on restoring cleared and degraded land and enhancing biodiversity,” Jensen says. The fund’s overarching goal is to promote the harmonious coexistence of agricultural and carbon farming with a targeted distribution yield of 6–7% per annum, offering investors the option to generate income from cash, Australian carbon credit units, or other environmental credits with a targeted 12–14% total internal rate of return. 

Looking ahead, Jensen says there’s no time to waste when it comes to decarbonizing the planet. “In the imperfect landscape of carbon and environmental markets, perfection is a luxury our climate and planet cannot afford,” Jensen says. “It’s imperative to act now to simultaneously reduce emissions and offset our environmental impact. Let us harness every available tool at our disposal to forge a sustainable path forward for the sake of our planet and the generations to come.” 

Recognition for Collaboration


Kakariki earned a 2024 Real Leaders Impact Award for Best Collaboration with Impact Outfit. Impact Outfit, also based in Australia, supports family offices, foundations, and funds to use business and capital for positive impact. It works with clients on strategy and advisory, stakeholder engagement, and experience design and curation. The partnership advanced both companies’ sustainability goals while fostering mutual growth and success. 

When Kakariki was a newly established carbon fund, it sought guidance from Impact Outfit to maximize its impact and reach and to create and nurture sustainable relationships with investors and family offices. Leveraging Impact Outfit’s expertise in the impact investment space, the collaboration enabled Kakariki to identify high-impact investment opportunities and build a network of values-aligned potential partners.

“The collaboration was meaningful to us because when Kakariki first started, we didn’t really know what the impact space was,” Jensen says. “We just saw this as a financial opportunity that obviously did good. Then we learned that there was this whole group of investors and this way of thinking about having a positive impact.”

Conversely, Impact Outfit gained experience and exposure through its partnership with Kakariki. By working closely with Jensen, Impact Outfit expanded its portfolio of impactful clients and built expertise in a nascent and important new market. It gained firsthand insights into the complexities of carbon offsetting and sustainable investment, enhancing its ability to advise clients on navigating similar challenges.

William McDonough ‘The Sustainability Crises of Our Time: A Business Perspective’

Posted on by William McDonough

William McDonough ranked among the highest in the category of values-aligned impact for the Real Leaders Top 50 Keynote Speakers awards.

His speech at the Global Sustainable Development Congress in May 2023 at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia encourages “waging peace through commerce.” Here’s an excerpt.


By William McDonough

“So what I’ve seen in the last 40, 50 years now is this awareness of change. That is not always positive. And we hear about these certain changes like the Silent Spring announcements in the United States, DDT, or on various kinds of pollution, various kinds of desertification, and so on. And this buildup does not leave room for question — it’s really a climate crisis, as we’ve heard the words. It’s not just change. We’ve now reached the point where change has become a crisis. So I think that idea, and the urgency that it requires … it’s very important. This is a crisis that built up slowly, and there is no better time than the present to make positive change to ensure a future on planet earth for our children of all generations to come. …

When John Kennedy in 1960 said, ‘We are going to the moon,’ the people who did that — and I know because I designed NASA (International) Space Station on Earth — did it in nine years, not a decade. … And the average age of the NASA engineer who put Neil Armstrong on the moon was 28, which means when President Kennedy said, ‘We’re going to the moon,’ they were students. So how important is education and its leadership?


We have seen the business community take this up. It started with the leaders. It started with very senior business leaders, but it then morphed into sustainability becoming a normal statement with not a highly defined set of parameters, except the first one from the (United Nations) Brundtland Commission, which was: Meet the needs of the present generation while allowing future generations to meet their own needs.

But a sustainable, safe, then circular future is about more than just needs. It’s also wants. So we then saw companies setting up chief sustainability officers, and then the whole C-suite. We need leaders, and we need leaders in the academic institutions living it every day, and we need faculty, students who enjoy it and understand this is the future that we decide and make. 

And so we’re at the point now of crisis, and everywhere we see people calling for ESG and getting confused or calling for sustainability without knowing what it means, and we see very strident regulations coming out of Europe even to this day, we see a lot of anxiety, or the concept of offsets and how to report our carbon footprints, and things like that. So it’s an amazing time, and we need clarity and the academic community and the business community to both come together to — I think of it as waging peace through commerce.”

William McDonough ‘The Sustainability Crises of Our Time: A Business Perspective’

Posted on by William McDonough

William McDonough ranked among the highest in the category of values-aligned impact for the Real Leaders Top 50 Keynote Speakers awards.

His speech at the Global Sustainable Development Congress in May 2023 at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia encourages “waging peace through commerce.” Here’s an excerpt.


By William McDonough

“So what I’ve seen in the last 40, 50 years now is this awareness of change. That is not always positive. And we hear about these certain changes like the Silent Spring announcements in the United States, DDT, or on various kinds of pollution, various kinds of desertification, and so on. And this buildup does not leave room for question — it’s really a climate crisis, as we’ve heard the words. It’s not just change. We’ve now reached the point where change has become a crisis. So I think that idea, and the urgency that it requires … it’s very important. This is a crisis that built up slowly, and there is no better time than the present to make positive change to ensure a future on planet earth for our children of all generations to come. …

When John Kennedy in 1960 said, ‘We are going to the moon,’ the people who did that — and I know because I designed NASA (International) Space Station on Earth — did it in nine years, not a decade. … And the average age of the NASA engineer who put Neil Armstrong on the moon was 28, which means when President Kennedy said, ‘We’re going to the moon,’ they were students. So how important is education and its leadership?


We have seen the business community take this up. It started with the leaders. It started with very senior business leaders, but it then morphed into sustainability becoming a normal statement with not a highly defined set of parameters, except the first one from the (United Nations) Brundtland Commission, which was: Meet the needs of the present generation while allowing future generations to meet their own needs.

But a sustainable, safe, then circular future is about more than just needs. It’s also wants. So we then saw companies setting up chief sustainability officers, and then the whole C-suite. We need leaders, and we need leaders in the academic institutions living it every day, and we need faculty, students who enjoy it and understand this is the future that we decide and make. 

And so we’re at the point now of crisis, and everywhere we see people calling for ESG and getting confused or calling for sustainability without knowing what it means, and we see very strident regulations coming out of Europe even to this day, we see a lot of anxiety, or the concept of offsets and how to report our carbon footprints, and things like that. So it’s an amazing time, and we need clarity and the academic community and the business community to both come together to — I think of it as waging peace through commerce.”

Forward Faster

Posted on by Real Leaders

The UN asks companies to help accelerate progress on 5 Sustainable Development Goals.

By Real Leaders

Only 15% of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track for 2030, and the UN is calling upon the private sector to help improve that number.

The UN identified five action areas for companies: gender equality, climate action, living wage, finance and investment, and water resilience. These targets can accelerate progress across all 17 SDGs and are where the private sector can collectively make the biggest, fastest impact by 2030, the UN says. They also help build more resilient companies and can lead to positive corporate returns.

The UN’s Forward Faster initiative aims to increase accountability and transparency by calling for companies to publicly declare their commitments, highlight the actions they will undertake, and report on progress annually to the UN Global Compact, which provides a framework to guide all businesses regardless of size, complexity, or location. 

Gender Equality

At the current rate, it will take over 160 years to achieve gender equality in terms of women’s economic empowerment and participation.

Companies can increase profitability and performance by ensuring inclusive workplaces and parity in their workforce. When women are empowered and included, economies grow, communities thrive, and businesses flourish. By taking action on gender equality, companies can gain important advantages:

  • When women serve as leaders and employees of companies, businesses benefit and performance improves.
  • On average across countries, long-run GDP per capita would be almost 20% higher if gender employment gaps were closed.
  • When boardrooms are gender balanced, enterprises are 2% more likely to have improved business outcomes.
  • Gender equality in the workplace can help unlock more than $12 trillion in new market value linked to the SDGs.

Action

Target 1: Equal representation, participation, and leadership across all levels of management by 2030.

Target 2: Equal pay for work of equal value by 2030.

Climate Action
In order to limit global warming to 34.7°F above pre-industrial levels, emissions need to be cut in half by 2030.

Businesses can protect themselves from long-term volatility by working toward net zero and a just transition. Taking climate action will help future-proof businesses. Here’s how taking ambitious action in this area benefits companies:

  • Improve efficiency and cut operating costs by reducing energy usage and emissions.
    Strengthen companies’ reputation with customers, suppliers, investors, and regulators whilst reducing companies’ exposure to climate risks.
  • Stay one step ahead of policy changes and climate regulations.
  • Ensure businesses leave no one behind in the transition to an environmentally sustainable economy.

Action

Target 1: Set corporate science-based net-zero emissions reductions targets in line with a 34.7°F pathway with the goal of halving global emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050 at the latest.

Target 2: Contribute to a just transition by taking concrete actions that address social impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in partnership with actors such as workers, unions, communities, and suppliers.

Living Wage
Over a billion working people worldwide — one third of all workers — are estimated to earn less than they need to afford a decent standard of living.

Companies can reduce inequalities and build more resilient supply chains by ensuring a living wage across their workforce. By paying living wages, companies can improve productivity and gain important advantages:

  • Reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, increase retention and motivation, attract new talent, and increase staff productivity.
  • Improve supply chain relationships, performance, resilience, and transparency.
  • Create a pathway to tackle poverty and reduce inequalities.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and promoting the human rights of workers.

Action

Target 1: One-hundred percent of employees across the organization earn a living wage by 2030.

Target 2: Establish a joint action plan(s) with contractors, supply chain partners, and other key stakeholders to work toward achieving living wages and/or living incomes with measurable and time-bound milestones.

Finance and Investment
The world will need to spend between $3–5 trillion annually to meet the SDGs by 2030.

Shifting corporate capital towards the SDGs is critical to closing existing financing gaps. Aligning financial strategies with the SDGs unlocks new revenue possibilities. By taking action in this area, companies can increase performance and gain new opportunities: 

  • Attract investors and open up new avenues for capital investment 
  • Protect long-term financial performance and avoid potential legal and reputational issues.
  • Identify and mitigate risks associated with environmental, social, and governance factors.
  • Attract top talent who prioritize purpose-driven work and seek employers committed to sustainability.
  • Expand into new markets and attract environmentally and socially conscious customers.

Action

Target 1: To the fullest extent possible, align corporate investment with SDG policies and strategies, set targets, and track and report on the amount and proportion of such SDG investments.

Target 2: Establish a corporate financing strategy linked to SDG investments and performance, and report on the amount and proportion of such SDG finance.

Water Resilience
More than 2 billion people lack safe drinking water. It’s estimated there will be a 40% gap between available water and demand for water by 2030.

Companies can increase efficiency and reduce supply chain disruption while helping vulnerable communities in water-challenged regions. Building water resilience at your organization can improve business performance and accelerate growth. Taking ambitious action in this area will help businesses:

  • Reduce potential business risks caused by water challenges (operational and supply chain).
  • Enhance companies’ reputation in the communities you operate and with your investors.
  • Profoundly impact the ability to fulfill the UN human right to water and sanitation and broader SDGs.
  • Support ecosystems that capture, filter, and store water resources, while supporting biodiversity and helping reduce the impacts of climate change.

Action

Target 1: Build water resilience across global operations and supply chains and join hands to achieve collective positive water impact in at least 100 vulnerable prioritized water basins by 2030. 

Forward Faster

Posted on by Real Leaders

The UN asks companies to help accelerate progress on 5 Sustainable Development Goals.

By Real Leaders

Only 15% of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track for 2030, and the UN is calling upon the private sector to help improve that number.

The UN identified five action areas for companies: gender equality, climate action, living wage, finance and investment, and water resilience. These targets can accelerate progress across all 17 SDGs and are where the private sector can collectively make the biggest, fastest impact by 2030, the UN says. They also help build more resilient companies and can lead to positive corporate returns.

The UN’s Forward Faster initiative aims to increase accountability and transparency by calling for companies to publicly declare their commitments, highlight the actions they will undertake, and report on progress annually to the UN Global Compact, which provides a framework to guide all businesses regardless of size, complexity, or location. 

Gender Equality

At the current rate, it will take over 160 years to achieve gender equality in terms of women’s economic empowerment and participation.

Companies can increase profitability and performance by ensuring inclusive workplaces and parity in their workforce. When women are empowered and included, economies grow, communities thrive, and businesses flourish. By taking action on gender equality, companies can gain important advantages:

  • When women serve as leaders and employees of companies, businesses benefit and performance improves.
  • On average across countries, long-run GDP per capita would be almost 20% higher if gender employment gaps were closed.
  • When boardrooms are gender balanced, enterprises are 2% more likely to have improved business outcomes.
  • Gender equality in the workplace can help unlock more than $12 trillion in new market value linked to the SDGs.

Action

Target 1: Equal representation, participation, and leadership across all levels of management by 2030.

Target 2: Equal pay for work of equal value by 2030.

Climate Action
In order to limit global warming to 34.7°F above pre-industrial levels, emissions need to be cut in half by 2030.

Businesses can protect themselves from long-term volatility by working toward net zero and a just transition. Taking climate action will help future-proof businesses. Here’s how taking ambitious action in this area benefits companies:

  • Improve efficiency and cut operating costs by reducing energy usage and emissions.
    Strengthen companies’ reputation with customers, suppliers, investors, and regulators whilst reducing companies’ exposure to climate risks.
  • Stay one step ahead of policy changes and climate regulations.
  • Ensure businesses leave no one behind in the transition to an environmentally sustainable economy.

Action

Target 1: Set corporate science-based net-zero emissions reductions targets in line with a 34.7°F pathway with the goal of halving global emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050 at the latest.

Target 2: Contribute to a just transition by taking concrete actions that address social impacts of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in partnership with actors such as workers, unions, communities, and suppliers.

Living Wage
Over a billion working people worldwide — one third of all workers — are estimated to earn less than they need to afford a decent standard of living.

Companies can reduce inequalities and build more resilient supply chains by ensuring a living wage across their workforce. By paying living wages, companies can improve productivity and gain important advantages:

  • Reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, increase retention and motivation, attract new talent, and increase staff productivity.
  • Improve supply chain relationships, performance, resilience, and transparency.
  • Create a pathway to tackle poverty and reduce inequalities.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and promoting the human rights of workers.

Action

Target 1: One-hundred percent of employees across the organization earn a living wage by 2030.

Target 2: Establish a joint action plan(s) with contractors, supply chain partners, and other key stakeholders to work toward achieving living wages and/or living incomes with measurable and time-bound milestones.

Finance and Investment
The world will need to spend between $3–5 trillion annually to meet the SDGs by 2030.

Shifting corporate capital towards the SDGs is critical to closing existing financing gaps. Aligning financial strategies with the SDGs unlocks new revenue possibilities. By taking action in this area, companies can increase performance and gain new opportunities: 

  • Attract investors and open up new avenues for capital investment 
  • Protect long-term financial performance and avoid potential legal and reputational issues.
  • Identify and mitigate risks associated with environmental, social, and governance factors.
  • Attract top talent who prioritize purpose-driven work and seek employers committed to sustainability.
  • Expand into new markets and attract environmentally and socially conscious customers.

Action

Target 1: To the fullest extent possible, align corporate investment with SDG policies and strategies, set targets, and track and report on the amount and proportion of such SDG investments.

Target 2: Establish a corporate financing strategy linked to SDG investments and performance, and report on the amount and proportion of such SDG finance.

Water Resilience
More than 2 billion people lack safe drinking water. It’s estimated there will be a 40% gap between available water and demand for water by 2030.

Companies can increase efficiency and reduce supply chain disruption while helping vulnerable communities in water-challenged regions. Building water resilience at your organization can improve business performance and accelerate growth. Taking ambitious action in this area will help businesses:

  • Reduce potential business risks caused by water challenges (operational and supply chain).
  • Enhance companies’ reputation in the communities you operate and with your investors.
  • Profoundly impact the ability to fulfill the UN human right to water and sanitation and broader SDGs.
  • Support ecosystems that capture, filter, and store water resources, while supporting biodiversity and helping reduce the impacts of climate change.

Action

Target 1: Build water resilience across global operations and supply chains and join hands to achieve collective positive water impact in at least 100 vulnerable prioritized water basins by 2030. 

Zero Carbon Reaches New Heights

Posted on by Real Leaders

By Real Leaders

A Landmark Among Skyscrapers

North America’s first zero-carbon commercial tower, The Stack, opened in September 2023 at 1133 Melville St. in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Co-owned by Oxford Properties and CPP Investments, The Stack is 37 stories tall, totaling 550,000 square feet of prime real estate. James K.M. Cheng Architects designed the unique, twisting stacked box aesthetic. The building was awarded the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard certification and is pursuing LEED v4 Core and Shell Platinum. 

“The Stack is leading the real estate industry to new levels of sustainability,” says Andrew O’Neil, vice president of development for Oxford Properties.

Employee Haven

Employee experience and wellness were other priorities in The Stackʼs design, with architectural elements such as operable windows for natural ventilation, several outdoor terraces, and a landscaped pocket park that features a public art installation by Canadian contemporary artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. To foster active transportation and promote wellness, The Stack features a 5,000-square-foot fitness center, 250 bike parking stalls, and health-club quality end-of-trip facilities for those who want to bike, jog, or walk to work.

Tackling Decarbonization

Innovative features minimize carbon emissions and energy intensity, including low-carbon building systems, high-performance, triple-pane glazing, and solar panels. The Stack also deploys smart technology to provide insights on energy management, optimize building performance, and enable preventative maintenance. 

“We can use the insights and learnings from this project across our portfolio and share best practices with the wider industry as we collectively tackle decarbonization as one of the most pressing issues of our times,” says Andrew O’Neil, vice president of development for Oxford Properties.

Taking Things Up a Notch

At 530 feet high, a 6,000-square-foot rooftop terrace offers unobstructed panoramic views of English Bay, Stanley Park, Burrard Inlet, and the North Shore Mountains with regular access as well as corporate events. 

“We’re seeing in cities across the globe that providing employees with a high-quality workplace experience has been an integral part in successful return-to-office programs for firms looking to unlock the benefits of in-person collaboration,” says Ted Mildon, vice president of office leasing and operations at Oxford Properties.

Zero Carbon Reaches New Heights

Posted on by Real Leaders

By Real Leaders

A Landmark Among Skyscrapers

North America’s first zero-carbon commercial tower, The Stack, opened in September 2023 at 1133 Melville St. in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia. Co-owned by Oxford Properties and CPP Investments, The Stack is 37 stories tall, totaling 550,000 square feet of prime real estate. James K.M. Cheng Architects designed the unique, twisting stacked box aesthetic. The building was awarded the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard certification and is pursuing LEED v4 Core and Shell Platinum. 

“The Stack is leading the real estate industry to new levels of sustainability,” says Andrew O’Neil, vice president of development for Oxford Properties.

Employee Haven

Employee experience and wellness were other priorities in The Stackʼs design, with architectural elements such as operable windows for natural ventilation, several outdoor terraces, and a landscaped pocket park that features a public art installation by Canadian contemporary artist Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. To foster active transportation and promote wellness, The Stack features a 5,000-square-foot fitness center, 250 bike parking stalls, and health-club quality end-of-trip facilities for those who want to bike, jog, or walk to work.

Tackling Decarbonization

Innovative features minimize carbon emissions and energy intensity, including low-carbon building systems, high-performance, triple-pane glazing, and solar panels. The Stack also deploys smart technology to provide insights on energy management, optimize building performance, and enable preventative maintenance. 

“We can use the insights and learnings from this project across our portfolio and share best practices with the wider industry as we collectively tackle decarbonization as one of the most pressing issues of our times,” says Andrew O’Neil, vice president of development for Oxford Properties.

Taking Things Up a Notch

At 530 feet high, a 6,000-square-foot rooftop terrace offers unobstructed panoramic views of English Bay, Stanley Park, Burrard Inlet, and the North Shore Mountains with regular access as well as corporate events. 

“We’re seeing in cities across the globe that providing employees with a high-quality workplace experience has been an integral part in successful return-to-office programs for firms looking to unlock the benefits of in-person collaboration,” says Ted Mildon, vice president of office leasing and operations at Oxford Properties.

Cleancult: Refill, not Landfill

Posted on by Real Leaders

Cleancult keeping your home and the planet free of waste

Ryan Lupberger is helping lead the movement to clean up the cleaning industry. The Colorado native grew up valuing natural products, and upon reading the ingredients in his laundry detergent, he was concerned to see so many unrecognizable ones.

Lupberger started researching and became even more disheartened when he learned that many of the chemicals allowed in the U.S. are banned overseas, and there is no regulatory body overseeing cleaning products in the U.S. So, he was inspired to start Cleancult, a natural cleaning product company, in 2019. Cleancult sells hand soap, dish soap, all-purpose cleaners, and laundry detergent.

“As we further our mission, the goal to bring accessible sustainable solutions to more and more people is not only a fundamental business model, but also an innate responsibility to our community and the cleaning industry,” Lupberger says.

Not only does Lupberger care about what is in the products, but he also has achieved zero-waste packaging, as opposed to the industry-standard single-use plastic bottles. After all, Americans dispose of 40 million tons of plastic every year, only 5% gets recycled, and it takes over 500 years to decompose.

Lupberger spent a year traveling the U.S. to find the best solution and ended up having his own machinery built to create a patented, recyclable cardboard refill packaging similar to milk cartons that consumers are encouraged to transfer into glass dispensers (which they can purchase from Cleancult) for at-home use. The company uses Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. Recently, it also introduced refillable aluminum bottles. Cleancult has diverted over 7 million pounds of plastic from landfills and oceans.

While other eco-focused cleaning product companies sell concentrated liquids or powder alternatives, Lupberger sees Cleancult as preferred for consumers who don’t want to add a step or change to powder.

“We want to go after the 99%,” Lupberger says. “We have to meet them where they are with ready-to-use formulas and ready-to-use bottles.”

Cleancult’s Support for Innovative Waste Management Projects

Cleancult is an activator in the U.S. Plastics Pact, a global network working toward a goal of having all plastic packaging be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. The company is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition to take action toward packaging sustainability. Plus, it joined rePurpose Global, and its Plastic Neutral Certification helps fund and support sustainable waste management projects that recover and remove as much plastic waste from the environment as it uses in its packaging.

Among these initiatives lies Sueño Azul, supporting a cooperative of waste workers who have revolutionized waste management practices in Bogotá, Colombia.

When Lupberger started Cleancult, he launched a direct-to-consumer (D2C) website. “I really hoped D2C would work long-term,” Lupberger says. However, he found the digital marketing and shipping costs to be challenging, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

So, in 2021, Lupberger shifted the company’s focus to retail sales, debuting in a handful of regional grocers. In 2022, Cleancult entered Walgreens, CVS, and Bed Bath & Beyond. This year, in its largest retail expansion yet, it hit shelves at 3,000 Walmart stores across the U.S., as well as on its online marketplace. Plus, Cleancult is available on Amazon.com’s marketplace. Lupberger has been pleased with the results, with sales growing 50% year over year for the business overall (while sales are flat on Cleancult’s website).

“Through key retail partners, including Walmart, we have grown the brand’s retail presence by 7,500% since 2019 and are excited to continue on this positive growth trajectory,” Lupberger says.

Cleancult: Refill, not Landfill

Posted on by Real Leaders

Cleancult keeping your home and the planet free of waste

Ryan Lupberger is helping lead the movement to clean up the cleaning industry. The Colorado native grew up valuing natural products, and upon reading the ingredients in his laundry detergent, he was concerned to see so many unrecognizable ones.

Lupberger started researching and became even more disheartened when he learned that many of the chemicals allowed in the U.S. are banned overseas, and there is no regulatory body overseeing cleaning products in the U.S. So, he was inspired to start Cleancult, a natural cleaning product company, in 2019. Cleancult sells hand soap, dish soap, all-purpose cleaners, and laundry detergent.

“As we further our mission, the goal to bring accessible sustainable solutions to more and more people is not only a fundamental business model, but also an innate responsibility to our community and the cleaning industry,” Lupberger says.

Not only does Lupberger care about what is in the products, but he also has achieved zero-waste packaging, as opposed to the industry-standard single-use plastic bottles. After all, Americans dispose of 40 million tons of plastic every year, only 5% gets recycled, and it takes over 500 years to decompose.

Lupberger spent a year traveling the U.S. to find the best solution and ended up having his own machinery built to create a patented, recyclable cardboard refill packaging similar to milk cartons that consumers are encouraged to transfer into glass dispensers (which they can purchase from Cleancult) for at-home use. The company uses Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. Recently, it also introduced refillable aluminum bottles. Cleancult has diverted over 7 million pounds of plastic from landfills and oceans.

While other eco-focused cleaning product companies sell concentrated liquids or powder alternatives, Lupberger sees Cleancult as preferred for consumers who don’t want to add a step or change to powder.

“We want to go after the 99%,” Lupberger says. “We have to meet them where they are with ready-to-use formulas and ready-to-use bottles.”

Cleancult’s Support for Innovative Waste Management Projects

Cleancult is an activator in the U.S. Plastics Pact, a global network working toward a goal of having all plastic packaging be reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. The company is a member of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition to take action toward packaging sustainability. Plus, it joined rePurpose Global, and its Plastic Neutral Certification helps fund and support sustainable waste management projects that recover and remove as much plastic waste from the environment as it uses in its packaging.

Among these initiatives lies Sueño Azul, supporting a cooperative of waste workers who have revolutionized waste management practices in Bogotá, Colombia.

When Lupberger started Cleancult, he launched a direct-to-consumer (D2C) website. “I really hoped D2C would work long-term,” Lupberger says. However, he found the digital marketing and shipping costs to be challenging, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

So, in 2021, Lupberger shifted the company’s focus to retail sales, debuting in a handful of regional grocers. In 2022, Cleancult entered Walgreens, CVS, and Bed Bath & Beyond. This year, in its largest retail expansion yet, it hit shelves at 3,000 Walmart stores across the U.S., as well as on its online marketplace. Plus, Cleancult is available on Amazon.com’s marketplace. Lupberger has been pleased with the results, with sales growing 50% year over year for the business overall (while sales are flat on Cleancult’s website).

“Through key retail partners, including Walmart, we have grown the brand’s retail presence by 7,500% since 2019 and are excited to continue on this positive growth trajectory,” Lupberger says.

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