Los Angeles, CA – June 28, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (CBRE) today announced that it has exceeded 10,000 attendees in the BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP), a major industry milestone. That performance represents 40% of all attendees in what is recognized as the leading sustainability training program for commercial real estate professionals.
“The popularity of the BEEP education is due to its straightforward and practical strategies for energy management that can be easily implemented with little to no capital expenditures,” said BOMA International President and Chief Operating Officer Henry H. Chamberlain, APR, CAE. “We applaud CBRE for demonstrating market leadership in energy efficiency and sustainability and for recognizing the value of BEEP education for their staff.”
Developed and co-branded in collaboration with the BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) Foundation and U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR, BEEP educates industry professionals on how to reduce energy consumption and costs with proven no- and low-cost strategies for optimizing equipment, people and practices. The program has been adopted as a required training standard for all CBRE Asset Services real estate managers and building engineering staff, and demonstrates the Company’s commitment to helping reduce the environmental impact of commercial real estate buildings.
“Commercial buildings consume a significant share of all energy used nationwide, and that energy represents the single largest controllable operating expense. It is incumbent on real estate professionals to seek out all efficiency opportunities,” said David Pogue, CBRE’s National Director of Sustainability. “We are proud of our longstanding relationship with BOMA and pleased to support and align our efforts in raising the bar for the industry with a positive impact on the environment.”
CBRE’s achievement comes at a critical time, as state and local governments are increasingly looking to quantify commercial building energy consumption and, in some cases, mandate or rate their usage. To navigate the regulatory waters surrounding energy performance benchmarking requirements, CBRE has developed a summary guide that features implementation schedules and required actions as a support resource tool. Along with regulatory pressures, occupiers are also looking for sustainable workplaces to comply with corporate social responsibility policies.
According to Jean Lupinacci, Chief of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Buildings program: “Thousands of real estate professionals now demand the delivery of low-cost solutions to reduce energy use across large portfolios of commercial buildings due to the robust partnership between CBRE, BOMA and EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. Leaders like BOMA and CBRE are showing how the commercial real estate industry is significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and positioning companies to improve their financial value through strategic improvements in energy efficiency.”
“We are committed to providing a comprehensive range of educational tools and platforms for CBRE employees as well as the owners and operators of commercial real estate buildings,” said Mr. Pogue. “Along with encouraging participation in BEEP, educating real estate users regarding vital energy usage strategies helps prepare our clients for change and moves the industry forward. Our partnerships with BOMA, EPA ENERGY STAR and others make this leadership possible.”
In addition to its co-sponsorship of BEEP training, more than 1,400 CBRE-managed buildings, or nearly 250 million square feet, have benchmarked their energy usage through U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. CBRE has been an EPA ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for four years in a row, and was again awarded the EPA ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in 2011 for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency.
About CB Richard Ellis
CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm (in terms of 2010 revenue). The Company has approximately 31,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 300 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CB Richard Ellis offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
About BOMA International
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is an international federation of more than 100 local associations and affiliated organizations. Founded in 1907, its 16,500-plus members own or manage more than nine billion square feet of commercial properties. BOMA International’s mission is to enhance the human, intellectual and physical assets of the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, education, research, standards and information. Please visit www.boma.org
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Robert McGrath
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