Mayor’s Sustainability Awards Winners

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Congratulations to the nine winners of the 2013 Mayor’s Sustainability Awards for demonstrating outstanding achievements and leadership in sustainable practices that support the city’s Sustainable DC initiative. Four of the nine are either based in the DowntownDC BID area or have an affiliation here. They are the CoStar Group, Inc. (1331 L Street); Brainfood, which has two satellite locations in the BID; Washington Gas Energy Services, Inc. (WGES), a subsidiary of WGL Holdings (101 Constitution Avenue); and The Tower Companies, which has an ownership interest in 1050 K Street, a 136,000 square foot boutique building.

About their recognition:

  • CoStar Group – has a long-standing commitment to sustainable operations and creating world-class, environmentally conscious workplaces. Its new Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified headquarters building was designed and built using innovative approaches that enhance sustainability, conservation, accessibility and a quality work environment. The company’s commitment to alternative vehicles and employee subsidies for public transportation eliminate about 4.8 million vehicle  miles per year.
  • Brainfood – the nonprofit youth development organization uses food and cooking to build life skills and empower D.C. teens to be resources in their own communities, believing that they should have a voice and a leadership role in helping build a healthier, more sustainable food system in D.C. Brainfood serves 175 to 200 teens at three community based sites, including Calvary Baptist Church at 8th and H streets, where it has a kitchen, and a 32×95 square foot site belonging to Mount Vernon United Methodist Church at 9th and K streets, where it has a Youth Garden that sources organically grown produce.
  • WGES – as one of the largest green-energy suppliers in D.C., it offers residential, commercial and municipal customers the chance to reduce the impact of their energy usage through WGES CleanSteps WindPower, sourced from regional wind farms, and WGES CleanSteps Carbon Offsets, which offset greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas use. The annual positive environmental impact of all its customers is equivalent to removing 447,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air, or taking more than 93,000 cars off the road.
  • The Tower Companies – is a leader in sustainable and energy-efficient construction and facility management, with 90 percent of      the buildings in its portfolio LEED-certified—including all three located in D.C. It installed the Real-Time Energy Management Program at its Downtown D.C. buildings and reduced energy consumption by 17 percent between 2011and 2012.

During the awards ceremony, Mayor Vincent C. Gray recognized the DowntownDC BID as a partner in piloting the DC Smarter Business Challenge, a collaboration between the District Department of the Environment (DDOE) and the DowntownDC BID’s ecoDistrict. It helps businesses and buildings identify and implement smart sustainability measures in areas such as waste reduction, energy efficiency, transit access, water management, procurement, and other matters where business sense and sustainability priorities intersect.

In addition to this year’s honorees, the Mayor also recognized the following Smarter Business Challenge participants: Akridge, American Public Health Association, American Society of Landscape Architects, Boston Properties, Brookfield Office Properties, Cassidy Turley, Cushman & Wakefield, D.C. Department of General Services, Executive Travel Associates, Hines, Hotel Monaco, Institute for Market Transformation, Jones Lang LaSalle, OTJ Architects, Property Group Partners, The JBG CompaniesTranswestern, ShorensteinVornado/ Charles E. Smith, The Tower Companies, DDOE, and the DowntownDC BID.

The Mayor’s Sustainability Awards, previously called the Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards, have been issued since 2009. Last year, the DowntownDC BID was one of four DowntownDC BID area businesses to receive the award. The BID was recognized for its role as a facilitator and catalyst for collaborative sustainability programs and services, which grew substantially after the organization leveraged strong relationships with several community stakeholders to create the DowntownDC ecoDistrict in April 2011.

Summaries and case studies of each award winner become part of an online library of best practices in the District. They are posted on the District Department of the Environment’s (DDOE) website.

 

(This article was updated on July 31, 2013)