USGBC-Northern California and President Clinton Launch New Initiative!

Six initial participants – Adobe, Genentech, Google, Prudential Real Estate Investors, SAP and Zynga – commit to a 20 percent reduction in energy, water and waste in just two years

By Ashleigh Talberth, Director, Special Projects, USGBC - Northern California Chapter

For more information on how your firm can get exposure in the lead-up to Greenbuild through this initiative, please contact ashleigh@usgbc-ncc.org

USGBC- Northern California Chapter (USGBC-NCC) and the USGBC launched the California Best Buildings Challenge on Friday, June 8th, at the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America), a meeting focused on finding solutions that promote economic recovery in the United States.

President Clinton and USGBC President, CEO and Founding Chair, Rick Fedrizzi, joined vice presidents from three of the six inaugural commitment participants, Genentech, Google and Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI®), on stage to announce the Challenge during a plenary of the popular event that draws more than 900 business, non-profit and media participants.

"This is a huge deal. It's a lay down economically. It's a lay down in the fight against climate change. And in our fight to become both more energy efficient and energy independent," said President Bill Clinton.

Inspired by the White House’s Better Buildings Challenge and President Clinton’s pioneering work to promote sustainable building, the California Best Buildings Challenge is going further faster to advance green, resource efficient buildings that help businesses save money and stimulate job creation.

The California Best Buildings Challenge consists of industry-leading firms with a strong California presence that have committed to reduce their building energy, water and waste by 20 percent in just two years. Adobe, Genentech, Google, PREI, SAP and Zynga have stepped up to kick off the Challenge, collectively committing five million square feet of building space from their portfolios.

"Greater building efficiency can make - listen to this - can make available to us 85 percent of future U.S. energy demand and a national commitment to green building has the potential to create 2.5 million jobs," said President Clinton. "It is also by far the most labor rich of all the clean energy investments. A billion dollar investment in energy efficiency yields about seven thousand jobs."

“As President Clinton has said many times, a strong economy and clean environment go hand in hand,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC. “Thank you to our participants for advancing the movement for greener buildings.” Buildings have a huge impact on the environment and account for 41% of our energy use, 38% of our CO2 emissions, and 13% of our potable water in the U.S.

“We are pleased to have these leading-edge organizations on board with this incredibly meaningful challenge,” said Fedrizzi. “The California Best Buildings Challenge is raising the bar in terms of what is expected in the realm of corporate sustainability. We are eager to prove that curbing energy and water use and reducing waste by 20 percent in two years is not only possible, but a must-do. The goal is for this type of achievement to become the norm.”

The California Best Buildings Challenge was launched as a 2012 CGI America Commitment to Action in an effort to inspire other companies with existing commercial property in California to sign on. The California Best Buildings Challenge commitment was selected by CGI America as an exemplary approach to addressing challenges in the clean electricity and efficiency space.

Join the Challenge- a Road to Greenbuild Initiative:
The Challenge is part of a larger initiative, the Road to Greenbuild, which builds momentum and excitement in the region culminating in Greenbuild, the largest industry conference worldwide (40,000 expected) during November 2012 in San Francisco. From now until Greenbuild, USGBC is embarking on a campaign to recruit companies across California to join the Challenge.

The Challenge will leverage the unprecedented exposure brought by Greenbuild to:

• Mobilize businesses of all sizes that own property in California to commit to the Challenge goals.
• Send a powerful message to the world at Greenbuild about the feasibility and importance of improving the efficiency of all existing buildings worldwide.
• Highlight the sustainability leadership of California companies.

The Challenge is an opportunity for building owners, occupiers, and managers who own existing commercial property in California to:

• Demonstrate California-style leadership with other regional industry leaders on the Road to Greenbuild.
• Build brand name and market through association with USGBC, the Road to Greenbuild, and Greenbuild.
• Be a part of the Clinton Global Initiative.
• Obtain operational savings.

For information about joining the California Best Buildings Challenge, contact ashleigh@usgbc-ncc.org.

Watch the Announcement:

• Click here to watch the announcement (note, it begins about three minutes into the plenary).
• Special remarks preceding the launch by Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC: