EPA Recognizes BOMA International With 2012 ENERGY STAR(R) Sustained Excellence Award

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - Mar 1, 2012) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International a 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of its continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency. BOMA's accomplishments will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2012, which marks the 20^th anniversary of ENERGY STAR.

BOMA, first recognized with the Partner of the Year Award in 2007, is the only real estate association to receive this honor five times. BOMA will be honored for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency through a number of innovations and implementations, including:

An expansion of BOMA's Market Transformation Energy Plan -- also known as the 7-Point Challenge, which calls on BOMA members and the commercial real estate industry to reduce the use of natural resources, non-renewable energy sources and waste production. Since its introduction in 2007, the 7-Point Challenge has been widely embraced throughout the marketplace, with endorsements from more than 130 member companies and BOMA local associations, representing more than three billion sq. ft. of office space.

The launch of the BOMA STARS initiative in January 2011 to promote the importance of benchmarking energy consumption in commercial buildings through EPA's Portfolio Manager and sharing that data with BOMA's Master Account. This effort highlighted the effectiveness of the voluntary marketplace in reducing energy consumption without costly new mandates. Since its launch, more than 2,000 buildings have benchmarked and shared their data with BOMA International, an increase of more than 50 percent.

Significant energy consumption reductions of BOMA member buildings. Based on a sample set of 623 million square feet and an average building size of 250,000 square feet, almost 60 percent of properties that benchmarked and shared the data with BOMA have an ENERGY STAR rating of 75 or greater, this represents 70 percent of the total square footage of benchmarked buildings. Since baseline, BOMA buildings have shown greenhouse gas emission reductions equaling the carbon dioxide emissions from 171,272 passenger vehicles or from 2,031,364 barrels of oil consumed.

Across the U.S., top companies and organizations are leading the way toward a more energy-efficient future through participation in ENERGY STAR. Over the past 20 years, American families and businesses have saved nearly $230 billion on utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those from more than 350 million vehicles with help from ENERGY STAR.

"BOMA International values its partnership with ENERGY STAR to increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings, and we are honored to receive our fifth ENERGY STAR award," remarked BOMA International Chair Boyd R. Zoccola, executive vice president, Hokanson Companies Inc. "BOMA has a proven commitment to reducing energy consumption through a voluntary marketplace, and this award is a testament to the success of programs like the 7-Point Challenge and BOMA STARS. We also congratulate our member companies who have been honored with 2012 ENERGY STAR awards for their efforts."

The 2012 Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, employing innovative approaches, and showing others what can be achieved through energy efficiency. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program including energy-efficient products, services, new homes and buildings in the commercial, industrial and public sectors. Award winners are selected from about 20,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

"As we celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program, EPA is proud to recognize BOMA International with the 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "BOMA and all our ENERGY STAR award winners are helping Americans find cost-effective ways to save energy in everything we do, which is good for our climate, our health, and our future."

About BOMA International
The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International is an international federation of more than 100 local associations and affiliated organizations. Founded in 1907, its 16,500-plus members own or manage more than nine billion square feet of commercial properties. BOMA International's mission is to enhance the human, intellectual and physical assets of the commercial real estate industry through advocacy, education, research, standards and information. On the Web at www.boma.org.

About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Now celebrating its 20^th anniversary, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. About 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit
www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

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BOMA International Earns ENERGY STAR® Award

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