Parker wins Climate Protection Award

Green Building Initiatives

Roha Teferra, Jun 24, 11.

The United States Conference of Mayors and Walmart have named Houston Mayor Annise Parker (D) as the first-place winner for the 2011 Mayors’ Climate Protection Award, which “recognizes mayors who implement innovative practices that work toward increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” according to Caroline Gallay of CultureMap Houston. Mayor Parker received this award as a result of her green building initiatives, which include the Green Office Challenge, Energy Efficiency Incentive Program and Municipal Energy Efficiency Program.

In addition to this award, Houston has been recognized for three consecutive years on the US Environment Protection Agency’s (EPA) top 10 list of US cities with the highest number of Energy Star certified buildings as well as “the country’s largest municipal purchaser of renewable energy with 33 percent of the City of Houston’s energy load provided by wind energy,” reports Green Houston.

In a statement, Mayor Parker said, “Houston is a leader on energy efficiency, and we are proud to receive this national recognition for our work in green buildings…The Houston Green Office Challenge and Energy Efficiency Incentive Program are unprecedented opportunities to bring citizens into the city-wide sustainability strategy.”

First Place Award Program Summary

Houston (TX) Mayor Annise Parker for its Green Building Initiatives
(Large City Category - population over 100,000)

The city has set forth a multi-year agenda to retrofit all 262 city-owned buildings, including fire stations, police stations, libraries and even performance halls, and has launched its Houston Green Office Challenge (HGOC), including its Energy Efficiency Incentive Program (EEIP), that challenges private commercial building owners/managers and tenants to reduce energy use, among other objectives. For city-owned buildings, these improvements are expected to reduce energy use by 30 percent in more than five million square feet of office space. More than 330 private sector partners have already taken up the Green Office Challenge, with the city reimbursing owners for 20 percent of materials and labor for qualifying improvements.