CREATING A BETTER WAY TO LIVE - Avalon Communities
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CREATING A BET TER WAY TO LIVE 2 0 2 0 C O R P O R AT E RESPONSIBILITY REPORT Updated as of September 1, 2021
AT AVALONBAY COMMUNITIES, Achieving this purpose means being aware of the full impact of our
activities and managing our business with an eye on the future.
It means remaining true to the long-term well-being of all of our
OUR PURPOSE IS CREATING A stakeholders, broadly defined.
As a real estate investment trust (REIT), we are owners and investors
BETTER WAY TO LIVE — FOR OUR for the long term, allowing us to consider the full life cycle impact
of the decisions we make every day. With this in mind, our goal is to
RESIDENTS, OUR ASSOCIATES, build and operate much more than buildings. The cities and suburbs
in our core markets across the country are reinventing themselves
through higher density, amenity-rich living. They are offering residents
OUR SHAREHOLDERS, THE more options for sustainable ways to live, from green buildings and
walkable neighborhoods to safer and healthier environments, and
COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE they are moving to a low-carbon emission future. We’re proud to be
at the forefront of this reinvention, creating communities that achieve
long-term environmental efficiency and foster better living far beyond
DO BUSINESS AND OUR PLANET their walls. Through these communities we make our core values
visible: a commitment to integrity, a spirit of caring and a focus on
AT LARGE. continuous improvement.
Realizing this vision is an ongoing journey and is not always
easy. But for us, it’s always right.
Featured on the cover
Erika Sandoval, Residential Services Coordinator — Reconstruction, joined with fellow associates
in the Pacific Northwest to volunteer at the Food Bank Farm, where they socially distanced and
gathered fresh vegetables for local food banks. Food insecurity increased in 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and AvalonBay provided support for food banks across the country through
our Building Strong Communities philanthropy program.
1
FROM THE CEO
The COVID-19 pandemic, the downturn in the economy, and widespread
racial and social unrest certainly tested each of us as individuals and
AvalonBay more broadly as a company throughout 2020.
Yet, with all the disruption, it was still a year full of opportunities: Responsible Companies and AvalonBay placed #122 out of
opportunities to focus on what is important to each of us, the top 400, moving up from #193 out of the top 300 in 2019.
personally and professionally; opportunities to show a true spirit For the third year in a row, we were named to 3BL Media’s 100
of caring for one another; and opportunities to collaborate, Best Corporate Citizens List. In addition, many ESG ratings
innovate, and bring new ways of serving our customers continue to rank us as one of the most advanced US companies
to market. with respect to ESG in our sector. These include Euronext,
VigeoEIRIS, ISS-oekom and FTSE4Good. Finally, Engineering
2020 was a challenging year for the Company and the overall
News Record (ENR) ranked us as 37th on their Top 100 Green
apartment sector. The normal effects of an economic downturn
Building Contractors.
on our sector were magnified by work-from-home mandates,
civil unrest in our city centers, and the strength of the for- Through the course of 2020, we achieved or exceeded the
sale housing market – all of which affected business results. objectives outlined in our previous CR report. Some highlights
However, thanks to the unprecedented speed of developing and include the following:
delivering vaccines broadly to the US population, the economy
is rebounding and we are experiencing steady improvement SOCIAL
in occupancy and rents in all of our markets in the first half Residents
of 2021. We walked alongside our residents as we, together, navigated
the global pandemic. We found new ways to engage with them,
Throughout 2020, our associates worked on the front lines,
keep us all safe, and support the unique needs they faced as
showing up every day to support our residents. However, the
they found themselves working and living from home in our
COVID-19 pandemic limited our ability to deliver the service
communities. This included a 30-point deep clean for move-ins,
levels we are accustomed to providing, and our residents felt
contact-free package pick up, virtual service requests and rent
it. With that, our customer satisfaction, as measured by the
repayment options for those facing financial hardship.
Net Promoter Score (NPS), decreased four points to 27, from
31 in 2019. Fortunately, our NPS is rebounding in early 2021 Building Strong Communities
and throughout 2020 thousands of residents willingly shared We provided $2.4M cash and in-kind donations to non-
their opinions through Google reviews, and their views were profit partners, exceeding our 2020 goal of giving back $2.2
overwhelmingly positive, averaging 4.4 stars out of 5. million. Of the $2.4M, $450,000 was additional COVID-19
specific support to our philanthropy partners and their most
We believe that to be a great company we must take a
vulnerable populations.
“WITH ALL THE DISRUPTION, multi-stakeholder approach to our business. Delivering strong
results over a sustained period requires engaged associates, Red Cross Partnership
IT WAS STILL A YEAR FULL satisfied customers, and the support of our local communities, In the sixth year of our national partnership, our in-person
OF OPPORTUNITIES.
which we earn, in part, by taking an active leadership role in activities were limited due to the pandemic, however we
addressing important Environmental, Social and Governance continued to support our partnership in several ways through
(ESG) challenges. In 2020, we were once again named the virtual blood drive campaigns and an online fundraiser that
Opportunities to focus on what’s Global and U.S. Leader in the Residential Sector by the Global provided $70,000 to the Red Cross to help those impacted
important to each of us, personally Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB). We also by the Western Wildfires.
and professionally. Opportunities received an A- grade from the CDP for our carbon emission
Associate Relief Fund
disclosure and reduction practices, making us one of four
to show a true spirit of caring to REITs, and the only apartment company, to receive a grade
Launched in March 2019, our Associate Relief Fund helped
one another and our residents. And in the A band. And AvalonBay was once again the proud
59 associates through the end of 2020. Last spring, we
expanded the fund to include a new category to help associates
opportunities to collaborate, innovate, recipient of the NAREIT Residential Leader in the Light Award.
and their families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As
and bring new ways of serving our This award is the highest ESG achievement for all residential
an extension of the fund, we launched a Vacation Donation
REITs and real estate companies, and our receipt of this award
customers to market.” acknowledges our accomplishments in the area of social and
program, which allows eligible associates to donate time to
help fellow associates experiencing hardship related to a
environmental sustainability.
Timothy J. Naughton medical emergency.
Chairman and CEO As ESG raters become more important to our investor
Inclusion and Diversity
stakeholders, we continue to do well in a variety of other
We made significant progress with our Inclusion and Diversity
benchmarks. Newsweek and Statista honored America’s Most
2 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 3
programming and focus areas. We set Diversity in Leadership
goals to increase representation of women and people of color
Water Efficiency
Our Water Reduction Task Force continued their efforts, begun
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY FRAMEWORK
within AvalonBay’s leadership team. We created a new multi-year in 2019, to work on water efficiency across the portfolio. One
national partnership with the National Urban League. And we result of their work is the installation of 31 more weather-based
launched three new associate resource groups: Black Associate irrigation systems, beginning in 2020 and completing by the
Coalition (BAC), Associate Rainbow Coalition (ARC) and Latinx end of 2021. These will save $337,000 annually, and 43.9
Employees of AvalonBay for Diversity (LEAD). million gallons of water. In 2020, our 29 existing weather-based
COMMUNI T Y
irrigation installations saved AvalonBay $493,950 and over 58
ENVIRONMENTAL million gallons of water.
Climate Change
Science-Based Targets Execution Plan
We updated our analysis of climate risk in our portfolio with a
OUS IMPROVEM
We created a strategic plan to achieve our Science-Based
third-party review of 274 properties individually against 11 short-
Targets (53 percent reduction in Scope 1 & 2 and 47 percent U
T IN EN
T
and long-term climate risks, including pluvial flooding (rainfall),
GO
reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions per square foot), with N
EN
T
O INE SS IMPAC
fluvial flooding (riverine), hurricane, FEMA flood rating, wind,
three components: 1) a focus on onsite and virtual renewable
S
VER
C
tornado, earthquake, tidal flooding (sea-level rise), extreme heat,
U
E N V IRONM
extreme rainfall and extreme drought.
energy and shifting of our procurable load to renewables, 2) B T
a focus on embedded carbon in our construction materials,
N A NCE
As a result of this analysis, we created a combined climate and 3) engagement with our residents on renewable energy
and emissions risk dashboard which shows each property’s procurement for their apartment homes.
risk profile and emissions intensity. This dashboard has been
The opportunities here reflect our commitment to move to a
integrated into our investments and asset management
TR ANS
fundamentally low carbon operating model. In fact, in 2020 we
ION
decision-making going forward.
were already able to move 56 percent of our procurable common
Demand Response and Smart Buildings area electric load to renewable wind energy, with the goal that
SPI
AT
IT Y
Our demand response smart building data program made by the end of 2021 we will have 85 percent of our procurable
PA
UT
significant strides with over $275,000 in annual savings created load from renewable sources. E
RI
GR
R
NC
RE
P
by using interval meter data to participate in demand response
T
Y
TE
programs, reduce our building electricity load and optimize our
O
CA IN
F
utility supply rates. Importantly, renewable energy will represent With a new year comes renewal, and 2021 has brought with it
RI
85 percent of AvalonBay’s procurable load and 44 percent of hope and optimism. While we have certainly started the year NG
S
SI
RE
TE
IA
our total load by the end of 2021. with challenges, we are far more experienced and resilient,
and we are ready to take control and set our own course once DE C
Renewable Energy and Battery Storage
NTS O
ASS
more. I am proud of AvalonBay’s commitment to lead the way
We installed solar panels at seven communities, adding 560 KW
and contribute positively in the current environment and to
of renewable power to our portfolio. This is in addition to the
the future, and I encourage you to read more about our ESG
existing nine communities already generating over 1 MW of
accomplishments and plans in this report.
solar power. In 2021, we are working to complete onsite solar
projects at 35 more communities. These will contribute an
additional 5.9 megawatts of renewable power. And we continue
to look for additional opportunities to implement further solar
adoption, with 46 more communities currently undergoing
preliminary feasibility analysis.
Timothy J. Naughton
OUR PURPOSE: CREATING A BETTER WAY TO LIVE
Chairman and CEO
COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE ASSOCIATES RESIDENTS ENVIRONMENT
Community investment Investor relations Compensation Customer service Energy efficiency
and benefits
Philanthropy Financial reporting Apartment greening Water efficiency
ASSURANCE STATEMENT In-kind giving Sound Board and
Awards and recognition
Engagement Emissions reductions
management practice Cultural norms
In 2020, for the sixth consecutive year we had our prior year’s annual energy, greenhouse Volunteering Brand and reputation Climate change
Ethics and compliance Health and safety
gas emissions, water and community waste data independently verified by Lloyd’s Register Renewable energy
Quality Assurance (LRQA), a part of Lloyd’s Register Group Limited and a leading provider of Cyber security Engagement
Green design and
independent assessment services, with recognition from over 50 accreditation bodies around Supply chain Inclusion and Diversity construction
the world.
Human rights Talent attraction, Waste management
The full accreditation report and assurance statement can be found on our website at development and
avaloncommunities.com/verificationreport and avaloncommunities.com/assurancestatement. retention
Avalon Doral Doral, FL
4 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 5
2020 GOALS PROGRESS CR GOALS: BEYOND 2020
We continued to make progress on our long-term 2020 Corporate Responsibility (CR) goals. In 2020 we achieved a meaningful As we enter a new decade, we have set new long-term targets, aligned with eight of the 17 United Nations Sustainable
15.4% drop in our Scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 16% drop in our Scope 3 emissions (per square foot). We also finished our 2020 Development Goals (SDGs), which are goals created as the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
Water goal with a final 8% drop in our Water Use Intensity from our 2013 baseline. And while our waste goal remained flat, in a year
when we saw residents primarily living and working at home, we were pleased to counterbalance this with the efforts of our Waste
Task Force. We will research the creation of a new water goal in 2021. Finally, in a difficult year, we continued to make progress on
our other stakeholder goals relative to our associates and the communities in which we do business. We closed out the WUI and
community investment goals and in 2021, transitioned to our new goals, which can be found on the next page. SCIENCE-BASED TARGETS WATER WASTE
53% 47% 2025 20%
GOAL PROGRESS
Science-Based Targets Scope 1&2 2020 3.90 Scope 3 2020 4.64
53% reduction in scope 1 and 2 greenhouse Scope 1&2 2017 Baseline 4.61 Scope 3 2017 Baseline 5.52 Reduction in Scope 1& 2 Reduction in Scope 3 Goal currently Reduction in
gas (GHG) emissions and 47% reduction in 2030 Goal: 2030 Goal: GHG Emissions per GHG Emissions per being researched landfill-bound
scope 3 emissions by 2030 2.16(kgCO2e/sq.ft) 2.93(kgCO2e/sq.ft) square foot square foot and will be introduced in the waste intensity
by 2030 (2.16 kgCO2e/sq. ft) by 2030 (2.93 kgCO2e/sq. ft) 2021 report by 2023 (1,631 lbs/apt)
Water1 SDG SDG SDG
2020 41.61
15% reduction in water use intensity (WUI) 2019 39.93
of the entire portfolio 2013 Baseline 45.21
2020 Goal: 38.39(Kgal/unit)
Waste2 2020 1674
20% reduction in landfill-bound waste 2019 1773
intensity across our portfolio by 20232 2017 Baseline 1671 INCLUSION & DIVERSITY
2023 Goal: 1631(lbs./apt.)
ACHIEVE INCREASE SDG
GENDER PARITY UNDERREPRESENTED
Residents3 2020 27 Increase women in MINORITIES
33% increase in our Net Promoter Score 2019 31 leadership** to achieve Increase of underrepresented minorities in
2014 Baseline 15 gender parity* by 2025 leadership** to 20% by 2025 and 25% by 2030
GOAL ACHIEVED!
2020 Goal: 20
RESIDENTS ASSOCIATES COMMUNITY
Community 2020 $2.4M
33 90th+ $2.75M
Increase annual community investment to 2019 $2.2M
$2.2M total cash and in-kind 2015 Baseline $1.1M
GOAL ACHIEVED! 2020 Goal: $2.2M
Achieve NPS (Net Achieve 90th percentile Increase annual community investment to
Promoter Score) or better on associate $2.75M total cash and in-kind by 2025
Associates4 2020 80TH PERCENTILE of 33 by 2025 engagement
Achieve 75th percentile or better on and satisfaction by 2025 SDG
2019 90TH PERCENTILE
associate engagement and satisfaction
2020 Goal: 75th percentile
GOAL ACHIEVED!
1
We calculate water use intensity on properties that are stabilized for a full two-year period and use whole-building data. The consumption is then divided by the number of apartment homes.
Graphs not drawn to scale.
2
To normalize data and to control for any shifts in waste and recycling numbers related to portfolio changes, we will calculate this goal using pounds per apartment (lbs./apt) intensity metric,
normalizing the waste generation to a per residential unit number.
3
In 2020, COVID-19 limited our associates’ ability to deliver the service levels we are accustomed to providing, and our residents felt it. With that, our total portfolio NPS decreased four points to 27, * Please note that parity is defined as achieving a level within +/-2% of the available workforce (currently 41%) as documented by third-party resources by level, function and geography.
from 31 in 2019. In 2021 we are already seeing improvements in our NPS as we re-open amenities and return to a more normal operating environment. Source: Derived using TalentNeuron (which uses Census NAICS industry codes, years of experience, education, and 65K sources of data including Census, job boards, proprietary database
4
We use external benchmarks from our vendor as well as historical three-year average data in arriving at our engagement percentage thresholds. The full survey is conducted every year. We calculate and Gartner Insights).
the target on properties that are stabilized for a full two-year period. ** Leadership is defined as director-level associates and above.
6 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 7
2021 INITIATIVES
Each year we establish an ESG plan to guide
our efforts during the year.
The plan is reviewed with our Board of Directors and key internal stakeholders. Our 2021 initiatives include:
BUILDING STRONG RENEWABLE ENERGY AND INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY DEMAND UTILITY FITWEL WATER EFFICIENCY
COMMUNITIES BATTERY STORAGE Continue to grow Inclusion and Diversity RESPONSE AND DASHBOARD With a focus on health Execute on recommendations
by supporting and tracking Diversity in and wellness, continue from the Water Savings Task
In the seventh year of our Building Strong Complete solar installations at
Leadership and other goals, creating
SMART BUILDINGS Implement a utility dashboard
to pursue additional Force, including retrofits of
Communities philanthropy program, give 26 California properties and start for our Portfolio Directors to
department plans, supporting our Continue to expand certifications, including the 30+ communities where
back $2.3M in cash and in-kind to our construction on 29 additional improve their understanding
associate resource groups, launching the program across the one at Avalon First & M in we control the whole building
philanthropy partners, volunteer at least communities located in California, of utility trends and anomalies,
a mentorship program pilot, a supplier portfolio where applicable, Washington, DC. Integrate water expense. Continue to
3,500 hours and achieve 20 percent Massachusetts, New Jersey and New to capture issues and resolve
diversity pilot, and participating in at least and leverage the full Fitwel into our new engage residents on water
associate participation. Also, celebrate York. Leverage the battery system at them sooner.
two external I&D surveys or indices. capabilities of the data for development processes, efficiency education and
our 10th annual Spirit of Caring Month. Avalon White Plains to better understand
both demand response encouraging certification determine potential new goal.
its interplay with utility time-of-day rates
and utilities procurement. where applicable.
and demand response programs, and
Also, integrate into our
establish a five-year battery strategy
construction standards.
to expand storage at the communities
where we have solar installed.
ASSOCIATE RELIEF FUND RED CROSS PARTNERSHIP NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE LED PORTFOLIO TARGETS EXTERNAL RESIDENTS
Continue to enhance the AvalonBay In the seventh year of our Disaster PARTNERSHIP RETROFITS Continue rollout of the RATINGS AND Maintain customer
Associate Relief Fund, which provides Responder Partnership, donate blood, implementation plan to satisfaction scores and
help to associates who are facing and continue the important work of
Kick off the first year of our partnership, Retrofit over 20 communities
achieve our Science-Based
RANKINGS engage residents in
which is led by the Black Associate to LED and scope what could
financial need immediately after a ensuring our associates, residents and Targets and transition to our Continue to maintain or environmental sustainability,
Coalition (BAC). Provide $150,000 in be the final set of targets for
natural disaster or unexpected personal the communities where we do business new goals beyond 2020, improve AvalonBay’s position Inclusion and Diversity
support and engage at a national level, our LED retrofit program.
hardship. 2021 enhancements include are better prepared for emergencies including determining a on indices like GRESB and activities, and our national
with regional affiliates and through NUL
adding payroll giving and launching a and disasters. potential new water goal CDP, as well as other ESG partnerships with the
Young Professional memberships for
vacation donation program. (page 7). rating agencies. American Red Cross and
BAC associates.
National Urban League.
8 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 9
2020 HIGHLIGHTS
On 3BL Media’s global list of
10 0 BE S T $450K
In additional donations (over initial
C OR P OR AT E C I T I Z E NS budget) to our philanthropy partners Launched National Urban League
most impacted by COVID-19 Partnership
Kevin Mulcahy
60
On Engineer News
#37
Record’s (ENR) list of
Communities have achieved
environmental certification T OP 10 0 GR E E N
(to date) BUIL DING
Joined CEO Action for
Diversity & Inclusion C ON T R A C T OR S
Christina Wilson
$2.4M
Total cash & in-kind donations
$124K
In grants from our Associate Relief
to philanthropy partners Launched three new Associate Fund to aid 43 associates
Resource Groups
Cass McFadden
$70K
On Newsweek’s list of
#122 AR ME
The Washington Post
R IC A’ S MO S T
BE S T P L A C E S
Donated to help E S P ONS IBL E
T O W OR K (out of 400)
those impacted by the
Western Wildfires
C OMPA NIE S 2 0 2 0
James McDonald
End
Unmute Show Video Security Participants Chat Share Screen Record Reactions Breakout Rooms
10 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 11
ESG REPORTING & RECOGNITION TABLE OF CONTENTS
The purpose of this report is to provide information related
to AvalonBay’s environmental, social and governance (ESG)
activities and performance, and covers issues and material
relevant to our business and stakeholders. This report follows
the GRI-G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines and sector- “E” – Environmental 14 “G” – Governance 40
specific guidelines for real estate and construction. We also 2020 Environmental Sustainability Highlights 15 Code of Business Conduct and Ethics 42
align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Certified Sustainable Communities & Office 16 Corporate Responsibility Governance 43
(SDGs, page 7), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Certifications
(SASB, page 58) and the Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Stakeholders 44
Disclosures (TCFD, page 59). Water & Energy Efficiency Results 17
Materiality Analysis 45
In addition to this report, we also participate in and provide Community Operations Projects 17
About AvalonBay 47
reporting through the Global Real Estate Sustainability Climate and Emissions 18
Benchmark (GRESB) and CDP. A number of ESG ratings
continue to rank us as one of the most advanced US companies
in our sector. These include Euronext, VigeoEIRIS and ISS-
oekom. We also periodically review and respond to reports, Appendix 48
“S” – Social 20
such as MSCI. GRI-G4 Index 48
Philanthropy and Community Investment 21
Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) 58
2020 AWARDS & RECOGNITION Spirit of Caring Season 22
Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures 59
• GRESB Global & Regional Sector Leader Associate Relief Fund 22 (TCFD)
(and received 5 “Green Stars” for the first time) Vacation Donation Program 22 Summary of Specific ESG Data 60
• 2020 Nareit Leader in the Light Award Winner Regional Philanthropy Engagement 23
for Residential/Apartments
American Red Cross Partnership 24
• CDP: Maintained score of “A-” and named a
Associates 26 About This Report 63
Supplier Engagement Leader
Report Parameters and GRI-G4 In-Accordance 63
• Member of FTSE4Good Learning and Development 26
Assurance Statement 63
Health and Safety 29
Trademarks 63
Culture and Fostering Engagement 31
Well-being and Benefits 31
GRESB SCORE OVER TIME Awards and Recognition 33
Innovation 33
Inclusion and Diversity 34
Peer average: 72 Diversity, Inclusion and Employment Metrics 36
Peer average: 68
Peer average: 65
Peer average: 62 Residents 37
Peer average: 60
Listening to Residents 37
Peer average: 50 Wellness and Healthy Buildings 39
Peer average: 41
Engaging Residents in the Greater Community 39
Ensuring Data Security 39
Accessibility 39
41 49 72 68 70 75 82 86
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
12 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 13
SEC TION 1: ENVIRONMENTAL CRE ATING A BE T TER WAY TO LIVE
THROUGH AN
ECO-FIRST APPROACH
We create a better way to live through an integrated environmental,
social and governance (ESG) approach to running our business. In the
following section we outline our 2020 progress on our environmental
sustainability goals and our activities and programs to support
environmental sustainability at AvalonBay and in our markets.
COVID-19 pandemic, consumption increased. The good
2020 ENVIRONMENTAL news is we learned a great deal over the years with the water
SUSTAINABILITY HIGHLIGHTS goal, and plan to continue to focus on reductions with our
Water Task Force. One example of their work is our weather-
Despite the many pandemic-related challenges of 2020, we
based irrigation systems, which are saving us over 58 million
continued to make progress on our environmental sustainability
gallons of water and $493,000 annually. In 2020 we began
efforts. Highlights include:
installation on another 35 systems.
• A 15.4 percent reduction in our Scope 1 and 2 and a 16 percent
• We made progress on our renewable energy strategy, with 1.1
reduction in our Scope 3 GHG emissions (by square foot).
megawatts of solar installed and another 7.2 megawatts in
• For our Science Based Targets, we started planning and design and under construction. By the end of 2022 AvalonBay
initial execution on two fundamental initiatives to achieve will have 55 solar sites operating with a total of 8.6 MW of
our science-based emissions reduction targets (SBTs). solar generating 12,400 MWhrs of electricity per year. And in
These include expansion of our renewable energy 2020 we moved 56 percent of our procurable common area
commitments and an in-depth review of embedded electric load to renewable wind energy, with the result that by
carbon in our construction materials. the end of 2021 we will have 85 percent of our procurable
load from renewable sources.
• A comprehensive study of climate risk across our portfolio.
Partnering with an industry expert, we evaluated each • Our Waste Task Force worked throughout 2020 to identify
property against 11 climate-risk factors and built a ways to reduce our waste, divert more from landfills and
comprehensive emissions and climate risk dashboard. improve our clean recycling. And their efforts are paying
off, because in a year when our residents primarily lived
• Five additional communities were LEED certified bringing
and worked at home, we were able to hold on any waste
the total number of communities either certified or pursuing
increases. As we move forward we plan to continue to focus
certification to 96, well over 1/3 of our portfolio.
on improvements in these numbers.
• In the final year of our water goal, we achieved an 8% drop
Initiatives begun in the last three years are now saving over $5M
from our baseline year. At one point we had achieved almost
annually through energy and water conservation and onsite solar
13% and were close to the goal, but with residents living
generation. We are setting a course that firmly places AvalonBay
and working full-time in their apartment homes during the
14 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 15
CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES on a path to decarbonization, lower emissions, increased
renewable energy and a clear approach to mitigating the
effects of climate change on our portfolio. And we plan to
transparently measure our progress and report publicly on
it in coming CR Reports.
COMMUNITIES HAVE For a full view of our commitments related to environmental
sustainability, please read our publicly available
ACHIEVED ENVIRONMENTAL Environmental Policy: https://www.avaloncommunities.com/
environmentalpolicy and Environmental Management System
CERTIFICATION (EMS): https://www.avaloncommunities.com/ems.
CERTIFIED SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
E NE R G Y S TA R L E E D F OR HOME S P L AT INUM L E E D NC The success of our Building Certified Policy, which requires all
Avalon Dogpatch San Francisco, CA
new mid- and high-rise communities to pursue environmental
Avalon Albemarle Washington, DC Avalon Hayes Valley Hayes Valley, CA Avalon Walnut Creek certification, has resulted in 60 communities receiving an
AVA Ballard Seattle, WA Walnut Creek, CA environmental certification to-date — while an additional 36 • Solar: Completed seven solar installations producing 566 kW
AVA Fort Greene Brooklyn, NY
L E E D F OR HOME S S ILV E R Avalon Mission Bay III are currently pursuing certification. These new certifications of power
San Francisco, CA bring the total number of communities in our portfolio either
AVA NoMa Washington, DC Avalon Alderwood II Alderwood, WA • Water Audits and Retrofits: AvalonBay’s Water Task Force
pursuing or having achieved an environmental certification to
identified a series of portfolio-wide water savings activities,
Avalon Norwood Norwood, MA Avalon Baker Ranch Lake Forest, CA L E E D NC S ILV E R 96. We now have six regional offices with a LEED or EnergyStar
including additional investment in weather-based irrigation,
AVA Queen Anne Seattle, WA Avalon Chino Hills Chino Hills, CA environmental certification, and our new corporate headquarters
AVA Ballard Seattle, WA more stringent construction standards relative to water-related
became Fitwel certified in 2020.
Avalon Saugus Saugus, MA Avalon Dublin Station II Dublin, CA fixtures, and policy changes that enhance water conservation.
Avalon Belltown Towers Seattle, WA
Avalon Green III Elmsford, NY We began work on 35 additional weather-based irrigation
Avalon Statesman Washington, DC
Avalon Boonton Boonton, NJ AVB OFFICE CERTIFICATIONS installations in 2020 which will complete in 2021.
Avalon Sudbury Sudbury, MA Avalon Irvine II Irvine, CA
Avalon Esterra Park Redmond, WA Arlington, VA • Waste: We launched AvalonBay’s Waste Task Force which
Residences Hingham Shipyard Avalon Maplewood Maplewood, NJ
Avalon Willoughby Square/ LEED Commercial Interiors Silver, Fitwel Certified has identified several pilot programs to improve waste
Hingham, MA Avalon Morrison Park AVA Do Bro Brooklyn, NY diversion, reduce “dirty” recycling and the consequential
Morrison Park, CA Bellevue, WA
AVA Capitol Hill Seattle, WA costs of it, and increase resident education about waste
ENERGY STAR Certified
L E E D GOL D Avalon Newcastle I Newcastle, WA and clean recycling.
Avalon North Station Boston, MA Boston, MA
AVA 55 Ninth San Francisco, CA Avalon Vista Vista, CA
Avalon Piscataway Piscataway, NJ LEED Commercial Interiors Gold
Avalon Edgewater II Edgewater, NJ AVA Wheaton Wheaton, MD COMMUNITY OPERATIONS PROJECTS
Avalon Teaneck Teaneck, NJ Irvine, CA
We see significant opportunity in our current portfolio to drive
AVA High Line/ Avalon West AVA Theater District Boston, MA LEED EB ENERGY STAR Platinum Certified
Chelsea New York, NY L E E D F OR HOME S efficiency, reduce emissions, lower costs and improve net
AVA Queen Anne Seattle, WA Los Angeles, CA operating income (NOI). In 2020, we continued to pursue this
Avalon Public Market Emeryville, CA Avalon Alderwood I Lynnwood, WA LEED EB ENERGY STAR Silver Certified opportunity on a number of fronts.
Avalon Towers Bellevue
Bellevue, WA New York, NY Demand Management and Interval “Smart” Metering
L E E D S ILV E R Avalon Potomac Yard LEED Commercial Interiors ENERGY STAR Silver Certified Our demand response and smart building data program includes
Alexandria, VA 40 properties representing over 13.5 million SF. Utilization of our
Avalon 555 President Baltimore, MD Avalon Walnut Creek II
continuous demand management generated over $275,000 in
Avalon Newcastle II New Castle, WA Walnut Creek, CA WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESULTS annual savings from demand response payments, load reduction
The Park Loggia New York, NY N A HB GR E E N C E R T IF IC AT ION and utility tariff rate optimization. Our interval smart metering
AVA North Point Cambridge, MA We completed construction of eight apartment communities
BR ON Z E L E V E L in 2020, consisting of 2,095 apartment homes. Thanks to platform measured and verified an additional $500,000 of
L E E D F OR HOME S GOL D Avalon Rockville Centre our sustainability standards for new construction, these new savings associated with implementation of various energy
Rockville Centre, NY communities will generate approximately 322,000 kWh in efficiency measures that reduced energy consumption and
Avalon Dogpatch San Francisco, CA Avalon Huntington Beach electricity savings per year, a 30 percent reduction in heating peak demand.
Avalon Glendora Glendora, CA Huntington Beach, CA NGB S S ILV E R and cooling costs, and 19.4M gallons of water savings per year
Our associate behaviors show that AvalonBay now has the
compared to minimum code requirements.
Avalon Irvine III Irvine, CA Avalon Ocean Avenue ability to support utility grid stress with over a 3 MW reduction.
Avalon Denver West Lakewood, CO
San Francisco, CA Other major accomplishments in 2020 include: Our energy supply procurement program now translates summer
AVA Little Tokyo Los Angeles, CA Avalon Towson Towson, MD
Avalon Edgewater Edgewater, NJ peak demand management reductions into lower supply rates
• LED Lighting: Completed 11 projects in 2020, and are now
Avalon West Hollywood executed on an online reverse auction platform that support
AVA North Hollywood FITWEL achieving annual energy-only savings of 30.6 million kWh,
West Hollywood, CA renewable energy credits. Renewable energy now represents
North Hollywood, CA and cost savings of over $3.8 million with a simple payback
Avalon Princeton Princeton, NJ AVA NoMa Washington, DC 85 percent of AvalonBay’s procurable load which amounts to
period of just under four years on all LED lighting projects
~ 70,735,907 annual kWh.
completed to date.
16 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 17TOP REAL ESTATE SOLAR USERS BY MW INSTALLED
Prologis
Brookfield
Properties Retail
Hartz Mountain
Federal Realty
Investment Trust
Unibail-Rodamco-
Westfield
AvalonBay
Communities
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130
Installed Capacity (MW)
Source: Solar Energy Industries Association 2020 “Solar Means Business” report
Kanso Twinbrook Rockville, MD
Our smart building operations platform monitors our fleet of control of common area HVAC systems that can drive significant City and Market Participation Based on the latest data available from 2019, the total of 55
CHP generation coast-to-coast to maximize energy conservation load reductions. Our Science-Based Targets are, in part, a result of the solar sites and 8.6 MW of installed solar will place AvalonBay
and carbon reductions, and now supports battery storage conversations we are having with the cities and markets where just below the top five of all real estate users of solar based on
Green Labels
dispatch optimization. The platform has expanded to support we do business. We continue to participate in a number of MW installed (see chart above).
We continue our apartment labeling program at all new
smart thermostats, water efficiency devices and preventative efficiency and carbon reduction challenges, including:
developments. The labels, which are now in 75 AvalonBay Climate and Emissions Risk Dashboard and Resiliency
maintenance protocols.
apartment communities, show residents how built-in efficiencies • Boston: We are members of the Green Ribbon Commission In 2020, we developed a comprehensive Climate and Emissions
Residential Demand Response and Reducing help them consume less energy and water, which ultimately and are working with them and the City of Boston to Risk Dashboard designed to rate each community across 11
Carbon Emissions saves them money and provides details on the green and make one of our properties available as a pilot for expanded climate-risk factors and against the community’s emissions
Our demand response and smart building data program health-related features of their apartment homes. In 2020 we energy retrofits in support of the City’s carbon emission profile. We rated 274 properties across 11 climate risks and
can now support residential demand response and carbon added emissions to this label to show the impact of our new reduction goals provided an aggregate score. Risks include:
emissions reductions tracking in utility districts that support construction on lowering each apartment home’s emissions.
• New York: We have committed to cut greenhouse gas • Pluvial Flooding (rainfall)
new generation AMI smart meters. We will be piloting residential
Transportation Advances emissions by 30% at select buildings as part of the Carbon
demand response and carbon emissions reductions tracking in • Fluvial Flooding (riverine)
• Car Charging: We currently have 650 charging stations Challenge. And under the Retrofit Accelerator program, we
New York and California. Residents can now download a free
installed at our communities. And we plan to install another continue to make progress on two properties that will get an • Hurricane
mobile app in New York, GridRewards, that enables residents
220 this year efficiency retrofit to help the City cut emissions 80% by 2050.
to track energy usage, utility cost and carbon footprint by the • FEMA flood rating
hour each day of the year. Throughout the year the app provides • Car Sharing: We have a total of 32 communities with car • Los Angeles: In 2015 we joined the LA Better Buildings
• Wind
guidance on how to save energy and lower utility expenses. sharing amenities, including ZipCar, Enterprise and Whip EV. Challenge with a commitment to reduce the energy
Residents can also combat climate change and improve the Whip EV is a minority-owned car sharing company and our consumption of our LA portfolio • Tornado
environment by lowering carbon emissions precisely at hours of newest partnership, which rolled out at Kanso Twinbrook — our
Renewable Energy • Earthquake
the day the GridRewards app identifies that electricity has the new value-based living concept community in Rockville, MD.
Our renewable energy strategy continued apace in 2020 with
highest carbon content. • Tidal Flooding (sea-level rise)
additional components related to our Science-based Targets.
Building Automation CLIMATE AND EMISSIONS Onsite solar generation is an important activity to reduce our
• Future: Extreme Heat
AvalonBay is leveraging an Internet of Things (IoT) platform
We know we have a role to play to lower our carbon footprint, Scope 1 and 2 emissions. By the end of 2022 AvalonBay will • Future: Extreme Rainfall
for streamlining building operations and increasing the
which is why we set ambitious science-based Scope 1, 2 and have 55 solar sites operating with a total of 8.6 MW of solar
effectiveness of existing maintenance practices, including a • Future: Extreme Drought
3 emissions reduction targets. In addition, we continue to work generating 12,400 MWhrs of electricity per year.
critical mass of building management systems. This is done by
closely with the cities and markets in which we do business to In addition, we calculated overall emissions and emissions
validating repair work performed by third-party contractors and All Phase 1 solar installations are complete, including seven
develop strong carbon reduction and climate resiliency plans for intensities for each property, integrating emissions and climate
reducing operational costs through real-time fault detection and in Washington, DC and one in New Jersey. Our Phase 2 solar
our portfolio. And our partnership with the American Red Cross risk into one dashboard. Our plan is to use this data to inform
utility cost savings. The IoT platform also supports utilization of projects (26 communities in California) are either live or still
remains an innovative and important way for us to prepare our investments/divestiture decisions, capital improvements, and
smart thermostats that enable real-time portfolio command and under construction. Our Phase 3 solar projects are under
residents and associates for the effects of stronger storms and plans for climate resiliency actions.
construction, consisting of 20 planned installations.
more frequent climate-related events.
18 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 19SEC TION 2: SOCIAL CRE ATING A BE T TER WAY TO LIVE
IN THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE
We respect and value the integrity of the neighborhoods in which
we build, redevelop and operate our communities. We’re known for
reinvigorating neighborhoods and bringing higher-density, more
efficient, walkable, amenity-rich housing to our communities.
We also recognize the importance of value-oriented, market-
based housing to the local workforce — our eaves by Avalon
brand and new value-based living concept, Kanso, were created
specifically to provide value living at its best.
SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY
We own and operate 116 communities that include a designated INFRASTRUCTURE AND
affordable housing component, intermingled with our market
rate rental housing. In 2020, rent subsidies totaled $64M to
SERVICES
more than 8,588 residents in 4,515 affordable apartment homes In addition to giving back through Building Strong
across these communities. Communities, we continue to invest in community
infrastructure and services as we grow our portfolio
Including affordable housing in the context of the mixed-income
with over $399M spent or planned to spend in 2020
communities we own and operate provides lower-income
related to our ongoing development activity, including:
households with the opportunity to access all of the benefits
of living in resource-rich neighborhoods including proximity to • Local permits, fees and taxes paid on projects under
employment, neighborhood services and high quality schools. development: $25.9M, with an additional $68.1M to
be spent through completion
• $6.1M for neighborhood infrastructure (roads,
sidewalks, improvements to water/sewer/storm
drainage), with an additional $15.9M to be spent
through completion, excluding reimbursements
• $1.9M for municipal sewer/water connections, with
an additional $1.3M to be spent through completion
• $4.1M to local parks/recreation
PHILANTHROPY AND
• $776K to support local school districts, with an
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT additional $2.7M to be spent through completion
Building Strong Communities, our community investment and
We also paid property taxes across the entire portfolio
engagement program, demonstrates our core value of a spirit
(not just development) of: $272.2M.
of caring and focuses us on issues relevant to our business:
disaster relief and community preparedness, affordable housing
and support for at-risk populations.
20 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 21REGIONAL PHILANTHROPY ENGAGEMENT
Building Strong Communities focuses funding and partnerships on building relationships with the most impactful local non-profits
aligned to our focus areas of affordable housing and support for at-risk populations. A full list of all of our regional partners can be
found on our website. In 2020 our regions focused on new ways to support their local non-profits in a socially-distanced world, and
provided key support to non-profit clients navigating the pandemic.
SPIRIT OF CARING SEASON Florida Los Angeles
In 2020, we planned to celebrate our ninth annual Spirit of During Spirit of Caring Season, a group The LA team donated $6,000 to our
Caring Month in May, a dedicated monthlong volunteer effort of associates supported our partner partner LA After School Allstars to
focusing on our Building Strong Communities partners. Due to the American Association of Caregiving help purchase 60 holiday gift cards for
the COVID-19 pandemic, we instead delayed it until later in the Youth by organizing and hosting a families in need during the pandemic.
year and celebrated our first ever Spirit of Caring Season, a two- virtual holiday cookie decorating event
monthlong Company-wide program that created new ways to for their youth clients.
engage our non-profit partners and participate in their mission. New Jersey
The NJ team helped local children
by donating $5,000 to New Jersey
Community Development Corporation
to purchase laptops for remote
learning. The team also hosted a
virtual holiday party for The Children’s
Home Society of NJ.
Mid-Atlantic
The Mid-Atlantic Construction Team
Massachusetts/Rhode Island partnered with A Wider Circle and
Colorado Associates in the Boston area served as the project manager and
Through a virtual donation drive for volunteered to spend time creating general contractor to build out A
A Precious Child, Denver-area and sending personalized cards to Wider Circle’s Ward 8 Neighborhood
associates donated more than 83 veterans at the New England Center Hub and Family Success Center in
hygiene items and school supplies and Home for Veterans and Veteran Washington, DC.
worth a total of over $1,600 to Support Alliance, thanking them for
ASSOCIATE RELIEF FUND Colorado families in need. their service.
Northern California
In 2019 we launched AvalonBay’s Associate Relief Fund,
In partnership with the Housing
which provides help to associates who are facing financial
Long Island New York City Industry Foundation, the Northern
need immediately after a natural disaster or personal
Multiple departments came together NYC volunteers made reassurance California communities pulled together
hardship. An associate who has a qualifying event, expense,
to support Family Service League. calls to local seniors that were and collected 8,169 pounds of food for
or both, can apply for a grant from the fund. Funding relies
Over $7,900 was raised to feed the supported by our partner Union our local food banks during a time of
primarily on support from AvalonBay and individual donations
hungry during Thanksgiving, fill FSL’s Settlement. This gave the seniors a great food need.
from associates.
food pantry, give children toys during warm, caring voice to talk to, as well
In 2020, we expanded the fund to include a new category the holidays and provide the homeless as virtual assistance with services like
to help associates and their families impacted by the with warm socks. transportation and grocery delivery.
COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 43 associates received a total
of $124,000 in grants from the fund.
VACATION DONATION PROGRAM
As an extension of the Associate Relief Fund, we launched
AvalonBay’s Vacation Donation program. This program allows
Virginia Beach
eligible associates to donate vacation time to help fellow
The team at our Customer Care
associates who are experiencing hardship related to
Southern California Center participated in a remote Family
a medical emergency.
Pacific Northwest The Orange County & San Diego Volunteer Day in partnership with
Associates helped provide donations regions participated in virtual volunteer Volunteer Hampton Roads and created
of home essentials to create welcome walks and card making projects for 100 compassion cards and cold
baskets for residents in Plymouth partner organizations to celebrate weather kits for the homeless and 50
Housing’s newest building. holidays and essential workers. isolation kits for local seniors.
22 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 23AMERICAN RED CROSS PARTNERSHIP
2020 marked the sixth year of our national partnership with the American Red
Cross, a model partnership that is used as an example for other corporations the
Red Cross works with. To date, the cumulative value both sides receive from this
partnership includes:
$1.97M in donations to the American Red Cross
352
from AvalonBay, its associates and residents
blood drives, resulting in 7,412 pints of blood,
which could potentially help save 22,236 lives
1,842 AvalonBay associates
trained in CPR 146,000 residents and 3,100 associates received
preparedness tips and resources annually
IN 2020, ALTHOUGH OUR IN-PERSON ACTIVITIES WERE LIMITED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC,
WE CONTINUED TO SUPPORT OUR PARTNERSHIP IN SEVERAL WAYS, INCLUDING: PHILANTHROPY SUPPORT
DURING THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC
In 2020, our program was more important than ever,
as the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted our
communities and non-profit partners. Throughout the
year we were able to:
• Provide $2.4M cash and in-kind donations through
the program, exceeding our 2020 goal of $2.2M
• Of the $2.4M, $450,000 were additional COVID-
Disaster Responder Donation Blood Donations 19-specific donations to support our regional non-
Our annual Disaster Responder Partner-level donation of In the first two months of the year, we were able to host 13 drives profit partners and their most-impacted clients
$250,000 helped provide ongoing support throughout 2020. that resulted in 264 pints of blood donated. In September we
• Safely support our non-profit partners and local
Our contribution helped the Red Cross provide over 900,000 launched a virtual Sleeves Up campaign, which resulted in our
communities through online fundraisers, virtual
meals and snacks, 488,000 relief items, 106,000 overnight associates and residents making 411 pledges to donate blood
volunteering and limited socially distanced in-
stays, help for 23,000 households and 99,000 individual care during the year. Although we did not exceed our ambitious 2,000-
person volunteer events and donation drop-offs,
contacts related to physical and mental health. pint goal due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are proud of our ongoing
including support for food scarcity
commitment to potentially save three lives for every pint donated.
• Support associates with grants through the
AvalonBay Associate Relief Fund, with a specific
pandemic-related category, as well as launch
AvalonBay’s Vacation Donation program which
enables associates to donate their own vacation
time to other associates in need
Community Preparedness Week Western Wildfires Fundraiser
We conducted our sixth annual AvalonBay Community In response to the wildfires that spread across California,
Preparedness Week, a weeklong campaign aimed at Oregon and Washington in the early fall of 2020, AvalonBay
improving resident and associate emergency and disaster activated our microsite and launched a fundraiser to support
preparedness. During the week, we engaged our 146,000 those impacted by the fires. Associates and residents
residents and 3,100 associates, with the aim of helping them donated $35,000 and with the company’s match, $70,000
better understand Red Cross resources, including materials was donated in response to this disaster.
and training specific to COVID-19.
24 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 25ASSOCIATES
Our associates continue to drive AvalonBay’s purpose — creating a better way to live. We are committed to being a living
wage company* while deepening our core values of a spirit of caring, a focus on continuous improvement and a commitment
to integrity. In our Human Rights Statement we outline the principles related to human rights that our Company upholds
(https://www.avaloncommunities.com/humanrights).
This section highlights our 2020 efforts to attract, hire, develop and retain the best people.
SUPPORTING OUR ASSOCIATES
DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
As the pandemic began we moved quickly to enhance our benefits to
associates in relation to COVID-19, including:
Workplace Harassment Training
LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT As part of our commitment to fostering a healthy, productive
Expanding Our Emergency Paid Leave
AvalonBay offered associates up to six weeks of additional Emergency
AvalonBay is committed to the professional development work environment free from intimidation and harassment, we
Paid Leave (EPL) at 100 percent of their pay if they had been materially
and career advancement of our associates. We expect require all associates to complete role-specific anti-harassment
impacted by COVID-19 and needed to miss work. To date, 1,635 associates
our managers and associates to have ongoing check-in training when they join AvalonBay and then at least every one to
have used at least one hour of our emergency paid leave.
conversations and memorialize them in a year-end performance two years thereafter.** These trainings, “Workplace Harassment
review. We expect these ongoing conversations to prepare Prevention for Employees” and “Workplace Harassment Ensuring Full Medical Coverage
associates to be successful in their current position as well Prevention for Managers,” are an important resource that helps The company’s medical plans provide 100 percent coverage for the
as their broader careers. All associates can take advantage associates understand what harassment is and the appropriate following: diagnostic COVID-19 testing, antibody testing, and inpatient
of opportunities for career development, training, tuition ways to interact with each other, our customers, and anyone hospital admissions to treat COVID-19. In addition, the company has
assistance and scholarships. with whom we conduct business. For our managers this training temporarily provided 100 percent coverage for telemedicine services for all
clarifies their important leadership role in preventing harassment medical concerns, so associates don’t have to leave their homes to receive
and creating an environment where all associates feel valued medical care.
EDUCATION AND TRAINING AT AVALONBAY
and can bring their whole self to AvalonBay each day.
Options for Additional Support
AvalonBay University
Inclusion and Diversity Training AvalonBay’s Associate Relief Fund, which provides grants to qualifying
Our learning management system, AvalonBay University (AVBU),
Everyone has unconscious bias. It is part of being human. In the associates facing financial hardship, expanded to cover those impacted by
is available to all associates and offers over 700 courses,
workplace, our biases can influence decisions and not always the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we launched AvalonBay’s new Vacation
providing technical, management, ethics and compliance
for the best. In 2019 we launched an unconscious bias training Donation program which enables associates to donate their own vacation
training. In 2020, associates completed 41,233 hours of online
program and had nearly 500 associates attend 20 sessions, time to other associates in need.
training, equivalent to about 13.3 hours per associate. We also
which included senior leadership. We continued this training in
conducted 10,542 hours of classroom training. Free Vaccinations
2020 with 201 additional manager-level associates completing
COVID-19 vaccinations are free of charge under all medical and pharmacy
Compliance Training the virtual course. We also introduced a new allyship training
plans. In addition to providing free coverage, the company has developed
All AvalonBay associates are required to take Standards of program in 2020, which 192 associates completed virtually.
an extensive communication and education campaign for associates on the
Business Conduct training upon hire, and the organization
Preparedness Training topic of vaccination. Associates can also use Emergency Paid Leave for
recertifies all associates every two years. 7,033 hours of
As part of our national partnership with the American Red Cross, time taken to receive a vaccine and if they are impacted by vaccine-related
compliance training were completed in 2020.
AvalonBay hosts CPR training classes throughout the year, side effects.
Cyber Security Training as well as an annual Community Preparedness Week (CPW)
Educating Our Associates
All AvalonBay associates have been taking mandatory cyber where associates receive emergency and disaster preparedness
The COVID-19 Navigator is a tool that enables our associates to be
security training since 2015. Beginning in 2017, the cyber information and resources. Over the past few years we added
paired with a case worker who assists them with COVID-19 questions and
security program started focusing its training in four areas: Disaster Preparedness and Workplace Violence courses to
concerns from start to finish. All associates and their dependents (spouses,
(1) comprehensive mandatory training for new hires, AVBU, which all associates have access to. In 2019, we required
domestic partners, children up to the age of 26, parents and parents-in-law)
(2) mandatory annual refresher training for all associates, all associates to complete the Workplace Violence course.
are eligible to take advantage of this benefit which helps them:
(3) enhanced training in key topics, and (4) remedial training
Associate Environmental Awareness
targeted to a limited number of associates in response to • Understand vaccine eligibility
Over the past few years we have hosted Earth Day webinars
their usage patterns. In 2020 we continued this emphasis,
on pollinators, sustainable buying habits, environmental toxins • Explain vaccine options and locate local vaccination sites
with courses designed to help associates identify and avoid
and water scarcity. All associates have ongoing access to these
common computer and network security risks, understand • Assist with vaccine registration and appointment procedures
resources, and we continue to engage our associates on a
how security breaches can affect the company, remain vigilant,
variety of environmental topics each year. • When eligible, provide assistance for vaccine appointment scheduling
and understand how to utilize available computer and network
security resources. Associates completed 5,140 hours of cyber • Research COVID-19 testing options and locations
security training in 2020.
* Living wage as defined by the living wage calculator developed by Professor Amy K. Glasmeier at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
** Certain states require anti-harassment training every year.
26 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report 27You can also read
