On October 26, 2017 the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) announced the launch of the Philadelphia 2030 District and the ULI Philadelphia District Council has signed on as a community partner. Led by DVGBC, the 2030 District is a public-private partnership that brings together property owners and managers, utilities and energy service companies, and community organizations to pledge to achieve a 50 percent reduction in energy and water use and transportation emissions by the year 2030. The City of Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability and Philadelphia Energy Authority are supporting DVGBC on the initiative. With approximately 15 million square feet already committed to the District, Philadelphia will join more than 17 cities that are part of the 2030 District Network.

Buildings are the primary driver of climate change in our region. In Philadelphia, 60 percent of the carbon emissions that cause climate change come from the building sector, and an average commercial building wastes 30 percent of its energy. Making improvements to our built environment represents the best chance we have to reduce our region’s climate impact and save money. ULI Philadelphia will support the work of DVGBC with resources from national ULI initiatives such as the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance and the ULI Tenant Optimization Program. We congratulate and look forward to working with DVGBC and the numerous ULI members participating to reach the district goals by 2030.

The ULI Tenant Energy Optimization Program offers a returns-based approach to integrating energy efficiency into tenant space design and construction that leads to reduced energy use and costs. More here.

Like the 2030 District, the mission of the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance is to lead the global real estate community toward value-enhancing carbon-reduction strategies that support the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change goals for global greenhouse gas stabilization by 2030. More here.