A Mayor, an Activist, a Non-Profit, and a Multinational: the Elements of Environmental...

A Mayor, an Activist, a Non-Profit, and a Multinational: the Elements of
Environmental Success?

WASHINGTON, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four million square feet of
green roofs, 31,000 high performance buildings, 11 million metric tons of
carbon saved from the atmosphere. Over the past few years a lot of interest
about the environment has been generated, but the National Building Museum's
2009 Honor Award recipients have produced actual - and remarkable - results.

S. Richard Fedrizzi and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Mayor Richard
M. Daley and the City of Chicago, Majora Carter, and Louis Chenevert and
United Technologies (UTC) have changed the nation's environmental landscape.
The Museum is recognizing their progressive leadership on environmental
issues, as well as their significant accomplishments in improving
sustainability within the built environment and local communities.
Collectively, their work has had a direct impact on the environmental
performance of buildings, infrastructure, and transportation systems around
the country.

For example, in the ten years since S. Richard Fedrizzi and USGBC created the
LEED(R) program, it has become one of the most universally accepted
certification programs in green building and changed the course of the
industry. Today more than 5.6 billion square feet of commercial construction
space is involved with the LEED program. The LEED building revolution
translates to something of an energy revolution: studies have shown that
LEED-certified buildings use less energy than a structure not subject to LEED
performance metrics. This is a potentially monumental energy savings if one
considers that nearly 40% of energy consumption in the United States is
attributed to buildings. USGBC's work also includes promoting the economic
benefits of building green. The non-profit's network of more than 100,000 LEED
accredited professionals espouses that environmentally sustainable design and
building can reduce operating costs, increase the value of the real estate,
and increase rent and occupancy ratios.

"The USGBC's vision is a built environment that nurtures instead of harms,
restores instead of consumes, and saves money instead of wasting it," said
Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "When communities are
well-designed, planned, and built, when all the pieces are smartly integrated,
our communities greatly enhance the quality of our lives and can go a long way
toward helping us heal our planet and build a stronger, healthier society."

Likewise, Mayor Richard M. Daley has transformed the City of Chicago. Daley's
20 years as Mayor have translated into a green boom in the nation's third
largest city: 15 million square feet of municipal buildings have been
retrofitted for energy efficiency, more than 7 million square feet of
vegetation has or will be planted on the city's rooftops, 500,000 trees have
been planted across Chicago's renewed public and park spaces, and significant
investments have been made in sustainable transportation options including 120
miles of new city bicycle lanes. Most importantly, in 2008 Chicago launched
its Climate Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy to combat climate change
that enlists businesses, residents, and government in an effort to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. The city's goal is aggressive: an 80% reduction
below 1990 emission levels by 2050. Chicago's research shows that more than
70% of its emissions come from buildings and infrastructure - a problem
tackled adeptly in the plan. Chicago's commitment to a prosperous and
sustainable city is not solely environmental. As Chicago commemorates the
100-year anniversary of its Daniel Burnham City Plan, residents have benefited
from decades' of investment in great architecture, development of civic space,
and public art - ensuring Chicago's place as one of the most
culturally-significant cities in the world.

"In Chicago we have long appreciated that cities are no longer the enemies of
the natural environment; rather they're leading the way in preserving and
protecting it. Since I have been mayor, my goal has been to make Chicago a
shining example of how a large city can live in harmony with its environment
and as a result, be a better place for all its residents. I am confident that
if we address the climate change challenge together, with creativity and
boldness, then cities will continue to lead the world in designing a path to a
more secure future," said Daley.

Driven by a straightforward, yet profound philosophy, Majora Carter is
determined to make change happen. "You shouldn't have to move out of your
neighborhood to live in a better one," said Carter, who in the late 1990's led
the design of the South Bronx Greenway: a plan for storm water management,
active living, positive local economic activity, congestion alleviation, and
recreation along the South Bronx waterfront. Carter also spearheaded the
creation of Hunts Point Riverside Park, the first South Bronx waterfront park
in more than 60 years. By 2001, she had founded Sustainable South Bronx
(SSBx), where she launched one of the country's first and most successful
urban green collar job training and placement systems. SSBx also formed a
coalition called Storm Water Infrastructure Matters (SWIM) which led to the
passage of a $4.50/square foot green roof tax abatement in NYC as well as
other laws that opened the door for greater reliance on horticultural
infrastructure. Carter's commitment to achieving sustainable communities
reaches far beyond the South Bronx. A year ago, she founded the Majora Carter
Group, LLC to maximize social and economic returns on environmental solutions
worldwide. Carter's entrepreneurial approach solving environmental and
economic problems attracted her first client: Elizabeth City, and North
Eastern North Carolina. The Majora Carter Group is working with the state
university and local governments to develop a green economic strategy. The
plan is to create rewarding career paths in the expanding area of climate
change adaptation and mitigation. Ultimately, the 21-county region will be
positioned to benefit both from the new skills of its workforce as well as the
new green economy.

UTC is leveraging its leadership role as one of the largest suppliers to the
building industry to make sweeping energy and environmental changes in its
business practices as well as the performance of building and infrastructure
systems worldwide. Louis Chenevert oversees the seven UTC businesses -
including Carrier, Otis and UTC Fire and Security - subject to the company's
stringent environmental goals that address waste, water, air quality, and
energy. Since 1997, the company, 37th on the Fortune 500 list, has recorded a
22% overall reduction in energy use and 50% reduction in water consumption - a
significant impact considering the company has more than 100 million square
feet of real estate worldwide. UTC's products reinforce its energy and
environmental objectives: one innovative new commercial cooling technology
delivers superior performance while using 40% less energy than today's
requirements, while an elevator employs gearless magnet motors that consume up
to 75% less energy than the conventional model. UTC is using its environmental
expertise to influence a global shift in corporate social responsibility. UTC
leads the World Business Council for Sustainable Development's Energy
Efficiency in Buildings project to develop a road map to achieve zero net
energy buildings all over the world, and UTC is also a founding member of the
U.S. Green Building Council and the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. UTC
also sponsors the Sustainable Cities Design Academy, a collaboration with the
American Architectural Foundation.

"Buildings today account for nearly 40% of the world's energy use; at UTC we
offer products and services capable of dramatically reducing a building's
energy needs," said Chenevert, UTC president and chief executive officer.
"From our regenerative elevators and energy efficient heating and cooling
systems to our energy audit and service companies, UTC has the technology and
expertise to increase the efficiency of buildings today and to transform the
energy needs of future buildings. By improving efficiency without sacrificing
performance, we help our customers do more with less."

The National Building Museum's Honor Award ceremony will be held in its
historic Great Hall on June 4, 2009. The Honorable Shaun Donovan, Secretary of
the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will deliver the keynote
address. Fedrizzi, Daley, Carter, and Chenevert will make remarks about their
vision for a sustainable future during the event which will be attended by
leaders in the building arts and sciences industry and government officials.

The Honor Award was instituted in 1986 to recognize achievements in our
nation's building heritage and to highlight those devoted to quality in our
built world. Previous honorees include Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Cindy
and Jay Pritzker, DuPont, Related, and The Associated General Contractors of
America.

The National Building Museum is America's leading cultural institution
dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering,
construction, and planning. Chartered by Congress in 1980 and open to the
public since 1985, the Museum has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas
and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education
programs, and publications. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW,
Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm
and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Cafe. Public
inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.

SOURCE National Building Museum

Bryna Lipper, blipper@nbm.org, +1-202-272-2448, ext. 3402, or Johanna Weber,
jweber@nbm.org, +1-202-272-2448, ext. 3458, both of the National Building
Museum