USGBC and its Northern California Chapter Launch California Best Buildings Challenge

June 20, 2012
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its Northern California Chapter (USGBC-NCC) recently launched the California Best Buildings Challenge.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its Northern California Chapter (USGBC-NCC) recently launched the California Best Buildings Challenge.

Inspired by the White House’s Better Buildings Challenge and President Clinton’s work to promote sustainable buildings, the California Best Buildings Challenge involves firms with a strong California presence committing to reduce building energy, water, and waste by 20 percent in two years. Participants thus far are Adobe, Genentech, Google, Prudential Real Estate Investors, SAP, and Zynga. Collectively, they have committed 5 million sq ft of building space from their portfolios.

“The California Best Buildings Challenge is raising the bar in terms of what is expected in the realm of corporate sustainability," Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive officer, and founding chair of the USGBC, said. "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 USGBC and USGBC-NCC launched the California Best Buildings Challenge as a 2012 Clinton Global Initiative America commitment to action and are encouraging other companies to sign on.

For more information and to join the Challenge, click here.


About the Author

Scott Arnold | Executive Editor

Described by a colleague as "a cyborg ... requir(ing) virtually no sleep, no time off, and bland nourishment that can be consumed while at his desk" who was sent "back from the future not to terminate anyone, but with the prime directive 'to edit dry technical copy' in order to save the world at a later date," Scott Arnold joined the editorial staff of HPAC Engineering in 1999. Prior to that, he worked as an editor for daily newspapers and a specialty-publications company. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University.