Prominent Boston Businesses Lead Charge on Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
April 10, 2014
The City of Boston has set aggressive targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. To achieve these goals, significant actions will need to be taken by the city, residents, and businesses alike. To do their part, over 100 of Boston’s largest buildings and employers have voluntarily joined the Challenge for Sustainability, a program of A Better City, that engages businesses to adopt best practices in sustainability and energy efficiency through a platform of benchmarking and a peer support network to reduce their carbon footprint.
Challenge participants have impressive reductions in energy use and GHG emissions. Since program inception in 2009, participants have realized an 18% reduction in GHG emissions, putting participants on a solid path to helping Boston and Massachusetts achieve their climate goals. Participants have achieved an aggregated average annual kWh reduction of 4%, totaling more than 88 million kWh, equaling over $7 million in savings. These reductions are reached through implementing a wide range of sustainability actions within energy, waste, water, and transportation categories. To date, participants have completed more than 1,500 individual sustainability actions. These include:
-Putnam Investments: Boiler Replacement, Computer Room Air Conditioner, Lighting, Pumps, and motors = $250,000 in utility incentives
-Marriott Boston Copley: Programmable Thermostats in 1,147 rooms = $90,000 utility incentive
-Beacon Capital, One Beacon Street: Rain Water Harvesting = 68,000 gallons reduced annually
On March 20th, ABC held its annual Challenge Awards recognizing businesses or individuals who excelled in the following categories: Greatest Energy Reduction, Most Improved Sustainability Score, Highest Sustainability Score, Largest Greenhouse Gas Reduction, and Peer Award. This year’s award for Greatest Energy Reduction went to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Shields Warren building, where they achieved a 20% drop in electricity use, saving almost 200,000 kWh of electricity. The Most Improved Sustainability Score of 2013 was awarded to Nixon Peabody LLP, with an 18% electricity reduction from 2011 levels. John Hancock at 601 Congress Street took home the award for Highest Sustainability Score. The award for Largest Greenhouse Gas Reduction also went to John Hancock for their 197 Clarendon Street building which has seen a 40% drop in greenhouse gases since 2009. The Peer Award, voted on by fellow program participants for outstanding participation, guidance, and leadership, was bestowed upon the Chief Engineer at One Beacon Street (managed by CBRE), Fred O’Grady.