Going Green
Welcome to AOBA's one-stop resource for members seeking information on Going Green. You'll find links to helpful websites, current environmentail mandates and incentives, green building glossaries and more!
AOBA members take environmental concerns seriously and most have well-established "green teams" working with staff, tenants and residents. Together with our national federated organizations, BOMA International and the National Apartment Association (NAA), AOBA has undertaken numerous environmental initiatives. Here's a brief overview:
As the Washington area BOMA chapter, AOBA officially signed onto BOMA's 7 Point Challenge. By endorsing this challenge, AOBA members have committed to the goal of reducing energy consumption in members' commercial buildings by 30 percent by 2012. As part of the challenge, AOBA has pledged to serve as an industry leader in promoting energy efficiency and conservation. The AOBA Energy Managers Roundtable is helping executives connect and share best practices on this key aspect of going green. On Sept. 30, 2009, AOBA hosted a Green Conference and Resource Center that included sessions for commercial and multifamily managers, and a workshop for apartment building managers. Speaker presentations from the Green Conference are posted. Also, AOBA launched a new web page, Go Green for Good, specifically for apartment residents; members are encouraged to provide a link to this new page on their site.
The AOBA Alliance, a subsidiary of AOBA, is now in its 9th year of negotiating procurement contracts for energy generation. The Alliance identifies opportunities for participants to achieve savings in energy purchasing, including the purchase of "green" energy through renewable energy certificates (RECs). These RECs, which include solar, wind, biomass and geothermal energy, are "green-e" certified by the Center for Resource Solutions to assure authenticity. More info.
Legislation and Incentives
The Association's advocacy team tracks environmental and energy initiatives at the local and state level that are relevant to AOBA members. For federal initiatives, contact BOMA (www.boma.org) or NAA (www.naahq.org). Check out links below for specific mandates and incentives:
