DowntownDC BID Launches Ambitious EcoDistrict

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Wed. April 20, 2011

Focus on Sustainable Best Practices

WASHINGTON, DC – The DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) has leveraged its strong working relationships with several community stakeholders to designate the DowntownDC BID area as an EcoDistrict, launching the EcoDistrict framework. The DowntownDC ecoDistrict will be defined as an area which will accelerate neighborhood-scale sustainability. The DowntownDC BID will work to partner with and organize major property owners and others to collect, analyze and share information and best practices in an effort to reduce the BID area’s carbon footprint and create an environment attractive for further and future investment.

“By declaring the DowntownDC BID area an EcoDistrict we are improving sustainability through operational practices and supporting the city’s efforts,” said DowntownDC BID executive director Richard Bradley. “Job growth and continued improvements in economic development are just some of the benefits to be realized with the launch of the EcoDistrict.”

The DowntownDC ecoDistrict, which builds on best practices outlined in the BID’s 2008 Greening Downtown DC leadership paper and its 2010 Downtown EcoDistrict Summit, encompasses the entire BID area and has three major goals:

  • Reduce significantly peak and overall energy consumption
  • Enhance economic performance, market positioning and market share of Downtown buildings
  • Promote and develop Downtown DC as one of the most sustainable Downtowns nationally and globally

EcoDistricts are gaining both national and international appeal. The DowntownDC ecoDistrict is one of the first BID EcoDistricts in the nation. Some areas in Portland, Seattle, and Charlotte, North Carolina, have similar type programs where businesses within their boundaries commit to achieve ambitious sustainability performance goals that guide district investments and community action and ultimately help lead to increased market share and profitability. Performance results are tracked often to measure progress and improve sustainable practices.

“The DowntownDC ecoDistrict makes perfect business and ’green’ sense,” said Bradley. “It will align with DC’s new citywide Climate Action Plan goals, which we will provide leadership to help meet. And it will ensure that Downtown’s unique assets are leveraged to create a propitious investment environment.”

The District of Columbia’s Climate Action Plan maps out an aggressive program to continue the city’s energy efficiency improvements and emissions reductions and involves residents, businesses and organizations. Because the DowntownDC BID area is comprised of 68 million square feet of office space, more than a dozen civic and cultural institutions and some 6,000 residents, it represents a significant market for energy and water consumption.

Phase I of the DowntownDC ecoDistrict includes four initiatives: 1) research and innovation, 2) marketing and communication, 3) benchmarking and tracking, and 4) organizing cooperative action. In addition, to facilitate market growth and investment, the DowntownDC BID has partnered with the District Department of Energy (DDOE), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other agencies and organizations to identify “market-based pathways” toward sustainability for Downtown properties.

Partnerships either underway or in development include the DC Climate Action Plan, DDOE’s Green Building and Business Challenge, and EPA’s Green Power Challenge. District-wide issue-area and sector-based challenges also are under consideration and would call for property owners and managers to address issues such as benchmarking energy resource usage, as well as collaborations with associations and member organizations to coordinate customized outreach and education.

“The bottom line,” said Bradley,” is that we want to engage more stakeholders, provide better measurements of success and boost marketing efforts to help Downtown, the city and the nation achieve and accelerate their sustainability goals. It’s a win-win situation for all involved.”

More details about the DowntownDC EeoDistrict are available in a new leadership paper, DowntownDC ecoDistrict: A 21st Century Sustainability Framework, available at www.downtowndc.org/leadership.