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Greening Downtown

To improve Downtown’s health and sustainability and maintain the area’s competitive posture, the Downtown BID works with property owners and other national and local public and private partners to increase energy efficiency and reduce dependency on carbon-based fuels. The result is a Greening Downtown DC initiative that makes financial and environment sense and supports the city’s effort to become one of the world’s most sustainable cities.

The initiative is a long-term, comprehensive set of programs and services where the Downtown BID serves as a facilitator and a catalyst by forming partnerships to undertake research, establish measures, communicate information and convene training sessions. The initiative targets four interrelated areas:

• Greening new and existing buildings
• Educating tenants on green best practices
• Improving public spaces
• Enhancing transportation options

Focused on “the triple bottom line,” a way of doing business that protects the planet, people and profit, the Greening Downtown DC initiative will assist stakeholders—including businesses, workers and residents—with the elements necessary for success.

Working with Downtown property managers, the program is making inroads towards improving energy efficiency, sustainability and value through operational practices and by improving the physical plant. Information gathered through relationships with organizations such as Eco-Coach and the Sustainable Business Network of Washington (SB NOW) is shared with office tenants to help them institute or enhance green practices. The initiative aims to institute green practices in the public environment by looking at strategies to reduce congestion, increase public transportation use and encourage recycling.

With President Obama and DC Mayor Adrian Fenty committed to greening the city and the Downtown BID poised to receive more than $395 million in stimulus funds for green building projects, the Downtown BID is set to guide Downtown’s future by continuing to work with local and federal agencies to become an international model and proving ground for sustainability.

As the first Certifiably Green business in DC, the Downtown BID already is leading by example, having received an award for leadership in implementing the SB NOW’s Green Business Certification Program pilot. The pilot program audits building tenants’ operations, identifies where improvements can be made and then offers certification at different levels. Although focused on internal operations, the certification also helps the public determine whether businesses are truly green and sustainable, and to what extent.

In addition to “greening” internal operations by using soy-based inks and recycled paper, in addition to power-saving servers and computer monitors, the BID also has demonstrated leadership in six areas: water conservation and quality; energy efficiency and climate action; environmentally friendly procurements; waste reduction and recycling; pollution prevention; training and education; and benefits.

In Downtown, where companies pledged to reduce CO2 production by 71 million annually in 2008

Public Recycling Program

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In July 2008, the Downtown BID, the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) and the American Beverage Association (ABA) launched a comprehensive public space recycling pilot, placing 25-lidded recycling cans in high pedestrian areas next to existing trash receptacles throughout the Downtown BID area. The pilot program is part of the Downtown BID’s Greening Downtown DC initiative and seeks to divert glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans and clean paper products from collected waste to help conserve natural resources by making it easy for workers, residents and visitors to do the right thing.

Phase I of the program has been highly successful—with nearly 50 tons of recyclables collected—and demonstrates that people, when offered the opportunity, will recycle if the process can be performed with minimum inconvenience.

To begin the process, the Downtown BID analyzed several national programs in New York City, Pittsburgh and Baltimore and trash can contents throughout Downtown, finding that recyclables ranged from as little as 15% in some locations to as much as 90% in others – newspaper or plastic bottles dominated the recyclable pool, depending on the location. That data helped the Downtown BID determine location (subway entrances, tourist attractions, public parks and food courts) where the pilot could achieve the highest recycling rates.

Under the partnership arrangement, DPW purchased and installed 25 recycling cans. It continues to dispose of the recycled materials that the Downtown BID’s SAM maintenance team collects and delivers to a central location. ABA coordinates marketing and public educational materials. 

The recycling program will expand to 38 new recycling receptacles in 2010, with funds from the $5.5 million in federal stimulus money to implement Downtown’s comprehensive streetscape project (link to map). The additional and highly visible trashcans will appear in strategic locations around Downtown. During Phase II, the BID also will distribute recycling educational materials to buildings and businesses in the area.

The Downtown BID is committed to developing partnerships and programs that support the city’s commitment to sustainability and help property owners, businesses, residents and visitors become more effective environmental stewards of the Downtown and, thus, the planet.

Being Green

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The BID is the first organization to undergo an Sustainable Business Network of Washington (SB NOW) audit for eco-friendly practice in its daily operations. In 2008, the BID partnered with the non-profit membership organization to test the pilot program, which audits building tenants’ operations, identifies where improvements can be made and then offers certification at four levels. Although focused on internal operations, the certification also helps the public determine whether businesses are truly green and sustainable, and to what extent.

The BID uses soy-based inks and recycled paper, in addition to power-saving servers and computer monitors. It also has demonstrated leadership in six areas: water conservation and quality; energy efficiency and climate action; environmentally friendly procurement; waste reduction and recycling; pollution prevention; training and education; and benefits.

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