A look at how Green Ribbon Commission members are working to remove carbon from Boston’s iconic buildings
One of the cornerstones of Boston’s Climate Action Plan is the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO). It will lead owners of non-residential buildings of 20,000 square feet and larger and residential buildings of 15 or more units to phase out their greenhouse gas emissions over time. It will also provide the City with much more detailed information on what kind of and how much energy is being used for real estate, in order to inform the path toward a net-zero carbon Boston.
What follows are case studies showing how several Green Ribbon Commission members have been pursuing energy efficiency and decarbonization in their buildings—in many cases for years before BERDO took effect — for their own reasons of meeting ambitious corporate sustainability goals and pursuing good business practices. We hope these stories may provide insights and inspiration for property owners implementing their own BERDO strategies..
Reaching Boston’s climate goals depends to a great extent on the decarbonization and increased resilience of the built environment. The GRC’s Commerical Real Estate Working Group supports Boston’s biggest property owners and developers in establishing and executing strategies for furthering the efforts of Climate Ready Boston and Carbon Free Boston. The group’s focus is high-level policy, advocacy, communication, and participation, supported by pertinent research, pilot projects, and demonstration models.
