Thurs. October 18, 2007
DOWNTOWN DC BID PARTNERS WITH COOL CAPITAL CHALLENGE
TO LEAD DOWNTOWN’S SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS
(Washington, DC) — The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) has announced a partnership with the Cool Capital Challenge to help transform Downtown DC into a cutting-edge model of green business practices by making a pledge to reduce the area’s carbon dioxide by 71 million pounds.
A leading partner with the city on similar environmental initiatives, the Downtown DC BID is the largest business improvement district in the city with more than 60 million square feet of commercial space. The BID, along with several commercial building owners, operators and BID members, including Akridge; Cassidy and Pinkard Colliers; and Lincoln Properties, have become Cool Capital partners committed to reducing CO2 emissions.
“This reduction will serve as both a springboard for more lasting solutions and business practices and an inspiring model for the rest of the country,” said Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown DC BID. “Companies across the U.S. are dramatically boosting their profits and competitiveness through more efficient and greener energy practices, and the Downtown DC BID is now on board.”
The BID is bringing together executives from leading commercial property companies in a series of roundtable energy forums for building engineers and property managers so that business leaders can share their expertise on the benefits of investing in energy efficiency.
The first cool energy training session, held last month, included representatives from property companies that manage more than 100 million square feet of DC’s commercial buildings. Participating property managers and building engineers manage more than 15 million square feet of Downtown DC BID space with a combined annual footprint in excess of 300 million pounds of CO2. Cassidy and Pinkard Colliers, Jones Lang Lasalle, Strategic Building Solutions and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson for ENERGY STAR were on hand to discuss resources available for commercial property owners and managers who want to “green” their operations – environmentally and financially.
“The forum provided expert, practical suggestions on how to implement sustainable measures and services in our building operations,” said Natasha Ward, sustainability expert, Inter-American Development Bank.
Cool Capital Challenge is a non-profit consortium of leading Washington-area businesses, institutions, government agencies, congregations and community and environmental organizations, united to bring about an immediate and dramatic reduction in regional greenhouse gas emissions to lead the U.S. in fighting global warming. By demonstrating the practical, financial, marketing and environmental benefits of investing in energy efficiency, Cool Capital enables businesses to cut costs and reduce CO2 emissions. Already cited by the EPA and the U.S. Conference of Mayors as a model for cities across the country, the Cool Capital Challenge is targeting a one billion-pound reduction in the city’s CO2 emissions by April 2008 to save an estimated $100 million in annual energy costs.
The Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID) is a private, non-profit organization that provides safety, hospitality, sanitation, homeless, economic development, transportation, streetscape and marketing services to Washington’s center city. The BID promotes Downtown DC as a premier commercial, cultural and residential destination.
Look for further announcements from the Downtown DC BID on ideas and programs for making Downtown DC greener, as well as more energy training sessions held later this year. For more information, visit http://www.downtowndc.org/ or http://www.coolcapital.org/.
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