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“At Extra Space, sustainability is not just a goal—it’s part of how we operate.” —Sr. Manager of Corporate Communications and Sustainability, McKall Morris.
Why Sustainability Matters to Us
The Extra Space Storage team cares about our employees, shareholders, and the communities we serve. Our attentiveness to sustainable business practices aligns with our company’s core values of integrity, excellence, passion, teamwork, and innovation. Furthermore, setting clear and measurable goals allows the community to track our progress and see where we’re headed in our green efforts.
By investing in sustainability projects and long-term initiatives, we’re working to stay ahead of industry trends and positioning ourselves as an environmentally responsible company that customers can trust. “Being a public REIT and a real estate owner and manager, we see ourselves not just as stewards of our shareholders’ capital, but also of the environment,” shared Jeff Norman, SVP of Capital Markets and Treasury at Extra Space Storage. Norman added,
A strong sustainability plan is one way we can live up to our commitment to being a responsible investor, owner, and operator of self storage properties.
Sustainability Initiatives at Extra Space Storage
Extra Space Storage is committed to being environmentally sustainable for our communities—as our Sr. Manager of Corporate Communications and Sustainability, McKall Morris, says:
We’re committed to reducing our consumption through initiatives like our solar program, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and lighting retrofits. By integrating sustainability into our day-to-day operations, we will continue to benefit our employees, shareholders, and the environment for long-term impact.
Our company’s sustainability initiatives have helped make us an industry leader, and our nationwide operations are built on practices that benefit all stakeholders. We’ve established green business practices to actively reduce our carbon footprint, resulting in consistent GHG reductions over the past five years. Last year, our carbon emissions were 79% less than the real estate industry average. Learn more about the sustainability efforts our business has enacted below, from our solar-powered storage facilities to our recycling efforts!
Initiatives for Energy Efficiency
“Whether it’s through expanding our solar power initiatives or upgrading our facilities with more energy-efficient HVAC systems and LED lighting, we’re committed to making decisions that benefit both the environment and our business,” shared Steve Potter, a Sr. Facility Project Manager at Extra Space Storage who oversees solar project installations. Extra Space Storage takes several steps to increase our business energy efficiency, striving to reduce energy consumption across all our properties.
“Energy efficiency is at the center of our sustainability strategy,” said Potter. All of our company projects have used LED fixtures since 2017, and each of our REIT wholly-owned locations have been upgraded to LED or T-8 lighting systems. This ongoing lighting retrofit program saves around 13 million kWhs of energy annually. In 2023 alone, we invested $4.9 million in energy-efficient HVAC systems—which, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, can help reduce energy usage by up to 50%.
Extra Space Storage, in partnership with Solar Landscape, won Solar Builder’s 2022 Project of the Year for their New Jersey Community Solar initiative, dedicating 800,000 sq. ft. of rooftop space to provide renewable energy for low- to moderate-income households.
Additionally, Extra Space Storage invests heavily in solar power, having produced 46.3 GWhs of clean energy in the 2023 fiscal year. Currently, 33% of our REIT wholly-owned properties use solar power, and we plan to expand that number in the coming years. So far, we’ve generated enough solar power to offset over 200 million pounds of coal being burned.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption and lessen our environmental impact.” —Sr. Facility Project Manager, Steve Potter
Sustainable Transportation & Fleets
We’re working to reduce our corporate fleet’s carbon footprint with the use of eco-friendly solutions. A significant step we’ve taken towards our sustainability goals is transitioning our company vehicles to fuel-efficient hybrid models. All of our district managers’ vehicles are hybrid cars, making for more fuel-efficient trips and lower GHG emissions while out on the road. We also offer charging stations for electric cars at our corporate headquarters and select facilities to support employees and guests who opt for EVs.
Water Conservation Efforts
Another environmentally-friendly goal at Extra Space Storage is reducing our water consumption. Since water is not an essential aspect of our business, we’re already a low-water consumer compared to other industries. For example, we use 77% less water than the real estate sector average. Still, as part of our company’s green initiatives, from 2018 to 2025, we worked to cut water consumption in our like-for-like pool by 20%.
Here are some ways we reduce water consumption at Extra Space Storage:
- Utilize efficient plumbing devices & irrigation services
- Install xeriscaping when permitted or other landscaping that doesn’t require a lot of water
- Keep a significant portion of our portfolio out of high baseline water stress areas
Waste Reduction & Recycling Programs
We’re committed to reducing waste and promoting corporate sustainability through innovative waste management practices and partnerships. Extra Space Storage was the first self storage company to transition from paper to digital leases, saving us 20 million sheets of paper annually! Through our partnership with Waste Management, our waste gets correctly sorted and recycled, helping us divert 14.7% of trash to recycling centers rather than landfills. Our in-store products also reflect our corporate sustainability efforts, as a majority of our in-store merchandise is made with eco-friendly materials and can be recycled again. We are currently experimenting with changing lock packaging materials from plastic to a more environmentally-friendly material to further reduce landfill waste.
Community Involvement
Extra Space Storage corporate team members gathered for a morning of volunteer work at Big Cottonwood Regional Park in Salt Lake City, UT, on September 19th 2024.
At Extra Space Storage, we’re always working hard to be good community members and make a positive impact where we serve. Each of our divisions does an annual charity project, and in 2023, our employees volunteered 550+ hours to national and local charities like Wreaths Across America, Seven Canyons Trust, Utah Food Bank, and more.
Extra Space Storage team members partnered with TreeUtah to properly plant trees in Salt Lake City, UT, where our company is headquartered. Participants dug, fertilized, and watered 35 trees throughout the grounds of Big Cottonwood Regional Park on September 19, 2024.
In addition to active volunteer efforts with local community betterment organizations like TreeUtah in Salt Lake City, we’re proud to be involved in systems that serve nearby residents—like the New Jersey Community Solar Energy Program, which allows us to have more solar installations to then distribute energy to local homes at affordable rates.
The Extra Space Storage facilities participating in this program span seven New Jersey counties and generate 6.5 megawatts of renewable energy—enough to power more than 1,400 homes nearby and eliminate thousands of tons of carbon emissions!
Looking Ahead: Future Sustainability Goals
Extra Space Storage is devoted to continually improving its green initiatives and remaining a leader in company sustainability efforts. As we approach the final year of our long-term goals set in 2018, we’re evaluating our efforts and preparing for new company sustainability goals. We were able to meet most of our long-term goals, though we’re making it a priority to set achievable waste reduction goals for the future to make even more strides in that area.
“We’re always looking ahead to ensure that sustainability remains a focus of our operations,” said Morris, Extra Space Storage’s Sr. Manager of Corporate Communications and Sustainability. Morris continued,
While we’re proud of the progress we’ve made so far, we know there’s more to do. Our goal is to continue innovating and finding ways to reduce our environmental footprint, all while maintaining transparency and accountability in our efforts.
As we work toward a more sustainable future, Extra Space Storage is dedicated to pioneering innovative solutions that push us forward and maintain our environmental stability.
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Looking for sustainable self storage? Extra Space Storage has facilities across the U.S. that prioritize eco-friendly storage practices. Learn more about our sustainability initiatives or find a storage unit near you today!
