SUSTAINABILITY /
Sommwhere is a sustainable venue rental in the LES. Although our space is not yet LEED Certified, we designed SOMMWHERE to meet and in some cases exceed LEED standards for Interior Design + Construction. Below is a list of the LEED ID+C categories we've designed for, what we're working to improve, and where we think we're going above and beyond. If you'd like to learn more, please drop us a line at sommwherenyc@gmail.com.
SOMMWHERE is designed to meet or exceed the following LEED ID+C Requirements:
Category: Integrative Process
Integrative Process
Category: Location + Transportation
Neighborhood Development Location
Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses
Access to Quality Transit
Reduced Parking Footprint
Category: Water Efficiency
Indoor Water Use Reduction
Category: Energy and Atmosphere
Minimum Energy Performance
Advanced Energy Metering
Planned Activities (Not Yet Performed):
Fundamental Refrigerant Management
Optimize Energy Performance
Green Power and Carbon Offsets (In Process)
Category: Material and Resources
Storage and Collection of Recyclables
Long-Term Commitment
Interiors Life-Cycle Impact Reduction
Category: Indoor Environmental Quality
Minimum Indoor Air Quality
Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control
Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies (In Process)
Indoor Air Quality Assessment (Planned)
Thermal Comfort
Interior Lighting
Daylight
Acoustic Performance
Additionally, we emphasize the following that we believe go beyond LEED requirements:
1. Most of our materials and appliances for our space we sourced locally, foraged, rescued or reclaimed. Working with a local, artisanal construction team also allowed for custom design features in our space that are durable and more long lasting than the typical modern day consumer solutions.
2. We have a complimentary zero-waste coffee bar, and offer durable (not single-use) to-go cups to anyone who needs to be on the move whilst getting their caffeine fix.
3. We have a strict policy where we do not allow single-use plastics to be used in our space. As an alternative we provide Heart Parts - an oxo-biodegradable reusable utensil kit (made by our in house creative director.) We also offer stainless steel or bamboo cutlery and artisanal seconds ceramics (celebrating the imperfect, that would otherwise have been thrown away) for tableware options for our guests.
4. In addition to recycling, we offer to donate or reuse any items left behind by our clients. (including food + clothing donations to The Bowery Mission - homeless shelter.)
5. We designed the space with our clients in mind, so we have in-house decor available for rent - allowing our guests to save money on delivery fees or having to purchase any items that would be discarded and thrown away after a single use.
6. Our catering partners have an emphasis on locally-sourced, farm to table options, with seasonally appropriate menus. This reduces the carbon footprint of all meals served at Sommwhere.