Well, this sounds fierce.
Sixty buildings in Cassidy Turley's commercial real estate portfolio will compete in a national sustainability competition sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Several of the buildings are in Minnesota, including Colonial Warehouse in Minneapolis; 8501 Valley Creek in Golden Valley; and Grand Oak I, II, IX and X in Eagan.
The 2013 Energy Star National Building Competition, called (appropriately so) the Battle of the Buildings, serves as a platform to help organizations improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings and thus, protect the environment.
Competitors will measure and track monthly energy consumption using EPA's Energy Star online tracking tool, make improvements to their building's energy performance, and share progress. The building or tenant that demonstrates the biggest reduction in energy use on a percentage basis will be recognized as the winner in April of next year. In short, the "Biggest Loser" emerges the victor.
Participating properties in the Cassidy Turley portfolio include those in Washington, D.C., northern Virginia, Houston, Cincinnati and Raleigh, N.C., totalling more than 10 million square feet of managed space.
EPA says that energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total U.S.greenhouse gas emissions, costing more than $100 million a year. On average, 30 percent of energy used in commercial buildings is wasted, the agency maintains.
Cassidy Turley, which has an office in Minneapolis, is headquartered in Washington, D.C. The firm, which completed transactions valued at $22 billion in 2012, manages about 400 million square feet of space for institutional, corporate and private clients.
