The Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) recognizes the potency of the region's sustainability movement in recent years, and has come out with a challenge pledge in anticipation of the 2013 Greenbuild conference, which will be held in Philadelphia. Specifically,
DVGBC is looking for local businesses non-profits, and other organizations to come up with measurable sustainable goals that can be realized by 2013.
Even though the Council’s pledge has only been circulating for a couple of months, it has attracted the participation of a number of for-profit and non-profit companies vowing to practice even more eco-friendly development. One development firm that was early and enthusiastic in signing the pledge is
Brandywine Realty Trust. The Trust has promised to have 75 Energy Star-certified buildings with 900,000 sq. ft. of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified real estate, says Heather Blakeslee, the deputy executive director of DVGBC.
Brandywine is by no means the only developer who has already made a pledge to be more sustainable through Energy Star and LEED.
MaGrann Associates, which is an energy consulting and engineering company that started in Mount Laurel, has vowed to certify 1,500 LEED residences, make 5,000 additional homes Energy Star-compliant, and achieve LEED certification for commercial interiors for their Navy Yard and South Jersey offices, says Blakeslee.
DVGBC’s pledge has drawn buy-in from some small local start-ups. Two such companies are
Greenable and
BluPath, both of which are sustainable building and design companies. “Greenable pledges to get green building products specified and used by architects and builders in 20 new, local green building projects,” says Blakeslee. Meanwhile, BluPath has announced they will work Habitat for Humanity's local chapter to retrofit a rowhouse to the ultra-green
Passive House Standard.
The Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha and the Jonathan Rose Company have jointly promised to do away with 78,840 automobile trips in a year with their Paseo Verde transit-oriented development by the Temple University Regional Rail stop, says Blakeslee.
Flying Kite highlighted this development a few weeks ago.
Also in the transportation sphere, the Valley Forge-based building materials manufacturer
CertainTeed and Saint-Gobain has pledged to reduce 10,000 gallons of gas by reducing single-occupancy vehicle commutes by its employees at its Valley Forge and Blue Bell offices.
Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Heather Blakeslee, DVGBC
Picture courtesy of DVGBC