Hartford Business Journal

20 CONNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE • FALL 2016 www.CTGreenGuide.com Stamford's property owners take the lead on efficiency I n Stamford, major property owners and managers have banded together in an effort to reduce their collective energy and water consumption. Stamford 2030, founded in Oct. 2014, is one of 13 such public-private partnerships across North America. The districts aim to reduce energy and water use by 50 per- cent in existing buildings by 2030. For new construction, the goal is stricter — immediate reductions of 50 percent for water usage and transportation emissions and an eventual 100 percent energy use reduction by 2030. Stamford's district contains 12.9 million square feet of member properties, including commercial and multi- family structures. The district has some big-name members, including Starwood Hotels and Resorts, the Ashforth Co., Fairfield Uni- versity, Purdue Pharma and others. Besides reducing their energy costs and improving the environment, members also receive certain exclusive discounts and incentives. In 2015, owners and managers of 18 Stamford prop- erties began benchmarking their utility usage using WegoWise software. In addition, 22 owners and manag- ers took a three-day Green Professional Building Skills Training certificate course in New York, hosted by the Urban Green Council. Last year, 23 percent of participating properties deter- mined that their energy performance was nearly 24 percent better than the national median. The goal in the next 14 years is to reach 100 percent and 50 percent, respectively. As a city with its southern border on the Long Island Sound, Stamford's 2030 District has also begun plan- ning for flooding resiliency. Stamford 2030 PROJECT ELEMENTS: Energy & climate change START DATE: Jan. 2015 COMPLETION DATE: Dec. 2015 The heart of the Stamford 2030 District, where major property owners work together to reduce resource consumption. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED CATEGORY: Individuals/Group GreenCircle Sustainability Awards 2016

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