Third Millennium Group and David Werner Group Strengthen Commitment to Sustainability by Installing Rooftop Apiaries

Chicago, IL, January 31, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Third Millennium Group and David Werner Group, which own two properties in Chicago’s central business district, 300 South Riverside Plaza and 540 West Madison, installed apiaries on both building’s rooftops this past summer placing the buildings at the forefront of commercial buildings to have such a program.

The idea to install apiaries on the commercial building rooftops came from a visit Joseph Mizrachi of Third Millennium Group, had to a San Francisco hotel and restaurant that keeps and harvests honey from their own apiary and serves to restaurant patrons.  He was aware of the decline of honeybees in North America, which is a crucial link to agriculture, and thought this idea is something simple to bring back to Chicago to help address this issue.

In the summer of 2015 Mila One, a restaurant and bar at 540 West Madison opened on the street level and plans to serve fresh honey harvested from the rooftop apiary to restaurant patrons and tenants. Plans are in the works to open a second restaurant and bar at 300 South Riverside Plaza in 2016 where honey harvested from the building’s rooftop will also be incorporated into the menu.

In 2010, after acquiring 300 South Riverside Plaza, Third Millennium and David Werner Group achieved LEED Gold certification and in 2014, 540 West Madison achieved LEED Platinum status. Both buildings implemented a wide range of energy efficient strategies involving water conservation and sustainable operations as part of the certification process. The LEED® rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.