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Contact: Mike Gehrig
(312) 988-2065
mgehrig@thegbi.org

GBI Establishes Partnerships with BOMA International, ENERGY STAR®

Portland, Ore. (April 22, 2008)The GBI recently signed formal Memorandums of Understanding with two organizations that we believe are key to improving the sustainability of the built environment: BOMA International, which has long been regarded as the authoritative source of information on office building, development, leasing and management issues, and ENERGY STAR, America’s premier energy benchmarking system.
                         
As part of the first agreement, GBI will work in partnership with BOMA International to provide education and training that promotes the design, construction and operation of buildings that are energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible. We’ll also work to promote the link between sustainable design and actual performance outcomes through tools such as Green Globes™ for Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings, the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) and ENERGY STAR.

As part of the agreement with ENERGY STAR, GBI will:

• Encourage GBI members to join the ENERGY STAR partnership,
• Measure and track the energy performance of facilities, where possible, through the use of tools such as ENERGY STAR’s Target Finder and Portfolio Manager, which are both accessible via Green Globes,
• Develop and implement plans to achieve energy savings that are consistent with the ENERGY STAR Energy Management Guidelines and our Proposed Green Globes Standard, and
• Support the ENERGY STAR Challenge, a national call to action aimed at improving the energy efficiency of America’s commercial and industrial buildings by 10 percent or more.

"We're thrilled to have the support of both BOMA International and ENERGY STAR and believe that these new partnership will benefit all three organizations as we strive toward the common goal of a better built environment,” said Ward Hubbell, president of the GBI. "Working with organizations the caliber of these will help us further strengthen our sustainability management tools and make them even more accessible and effective for the mainstream design and building community.”

A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, ENERGY STAR was established in 1992 with the goal of identifying and promoting energy-efficient products, homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Its mission is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help protect the environment through the promotion of superior energy performance in the commercial, industrial and institutional markets.

For more information:
BOMA International
ENERGY STAR