UPDATE: BOMA Bay Area 2011 EARTH Awards - Commercial Buildings Recognized for Resource Conservation

BOMA San Francisco Members:

UPDATE - May 26, 2011

If you didn't receive the special San Francisco Business Times (SFBT) supplement for the 2011 BOMA Bay Area EARTH Awards, please click here to review the digital version.  You can also access videos from the event that highlight the BOMA member finalists and learn more about the EARTH Awards program by clicking here.

Thank you to the sponsors of the supplement and the SFBT for their kind support of the BOMA Bay Area EARTH Awards.  Lastly, thank you to the organizers of the event: the members of  BOMA San Francisco's Energy & Environment Committee.

Original Post - April 22, 2011

BOMA member buildings in the Bay Area whose tenants composted their organics, slashed energy use and promoted alternative transportation methods won the top honors this year for sustainability.

Bay Area EARTH Awards were presented on April 21, 2011 to commercial buildings with top-rated sustainability programs at an event hosted by BOMA San Francisco and BOMA Oakland/East Bay. This was the fifth annual awards event and the first year that BOMA Oakland/East Bay participated.

“Every year brings new and higher standards to the awards competition,” says Blake Peterson, Chair of the Energy and Environment Committee at BOMA San Francisco, which manages the awards process. “We look for the best building practices and revise our program to include these methodologies on an ongoing basis. Innovations that we noticed this year are plastic bag and Styrofoam recycling, electric vehicle charging stations and LED lighting technologies.” 

The EARTH Awards recognize commercial property owners and managers for the most comprehensive resource management practices – including recycling, energy and water conservation, air quality and toxic reduction programs, support for public transit and tenant education programs that promote sustainability. Eighty-two criteria are considered in the judging. Some specific practices include: composting hand towels in restrooms, motion sensors in stairwells and environmentally favorable purchasing standards.

The EARTH Awards are a multi-purpose program designed to analyze, educate, recognize and repeat. The program analyzes the most sustainable building operation practices, educates properties about methodologies through the application process, recognizes properties that are excelling, and repeats the process.  

“Next year’s application will include innovations that were discovered during this year’s audits,” adds Peterson. “Being able to share knowledge about cutting-edge techniques is what makes this program a value for participants.”

Please click here for BOMA's EARTH Awards supplement in the San Francisco Business Times which contains detailed information about the program, articles related to sustainable business practices, information related to the participating buildings.. 

The awards are grouped by building size (large, medium and small).  Below are the buildings and their respective management companies. Winners of the 2011 BOMA EARTH awards are:

Large Commercial Property Winners (over 600,000 square feet): 

• 1st Place – 560 Mission (San Francisco) – CommonWealth Partners 
• 2nd Place – Post Montgomery Center (San Francisco) – Cushman & Wakefield
• 3rd Place – Letterman Digital Arts Center (San Francisco) – Letterman Digital Arts

Medium Commercial Property Winners (300,000 to 600,000 square feet): 

• 1st Place – 1111 Broadway (Oakland) – CB Richard Ellis
• 2nd Place – 100 Montgomery (San Francisco) – Hines
• 3rd Place – One Bush Street (San Francisco) – Tishman Speyer

Small Commercial Property Winners (under 300,000 square feet):

• 1st Place – Adobe System’s/Baker Hamilton Building (San Francisco) – Cushman & Wakefield
• 2nd Place – 150 California Street (San Francisco) – CB Richard Ellis
• 3rd Place – 1300 Clay Street (Oakland) – CB Richard Ellis

The EARTH Awards are just one of many innovative green programs offered to BOMA members. The BOMA Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP) seminars teach principals of energy management and use of the Energy Star® Portfolio Manger Tools. The BOMA 360 Performance Program recognizes buildings that show excellent performance in the areas of energy efficiency and management, sustainability, operations and other practices. BOMA also offers classes towards LEED professional accreditation.

BOMA San Francisco and BOMA Oakland/East Bay are not-for-profit commercial real estate trade associations. BOMA’s labor, legislative and public affairs services create better business conditions for commercial real estate owners and managers. Its training programs enhance effective building operations, which add value to the bottom line. The associations are members of BOMA California and federated with BOMA International, an organization consisting of 100 local associations throughout North America as well as several affiliated BOMA groups worldwide.