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How Cities and Utilities Can Form Partnership Agreements to Accelerate Climate Action

Partnerships are powerful. From multinational climate change efforts down to neighborhood recycling and composting initiatives, combining skills and capacity makes any undertaking more manageable. For cities looking to take meaningful climate action, partnering with their utilities is a smart strategy. Take the city of Denver, Colorado for example. Denver recently entered into a formal partnership with … Continued

How Can Cities Help Class B and C Building Owners Optimize Their Energy Performance?

Research from Carnegie Mellon University reveals some of the biggest roadblocks preventing class B and C building owners from investing in energy efficiency. Here’s a look at the top three challenges and what cities should consider as they aim to reduce building emissions, revitalize infrastructure, and help owners take action. Class B and C buildings … Continued

Why Every Building Owner and Tenant Needs a Health and Wellness Strategy

Tenant satisfaction and employee retention help make a strong case for investing in a health and wellness strategy that aligns with energy efficiency and sustainability goals for commercial & retail properties. A couple years ago I was a long-time resident of New York City. Like many commuters, I chose to ride my bike six miles … Continued

Cleveland Becomes the First City to Earn Green Lease Leaders Recognition

This year, Cleveland continued to build strong climate action momentum by becoming the first city to earn the Green Lease Leader designation. The city’s Chief of Sustainability Matt Gray recognized that green leases are an essential tool to include in Cleveland’s city-wide climate action plans and meet its ambitious greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals.  “Cleveland … Continued

The PUC Perspective on a New Era for Local Governments and Public Utilities Commissions

Diversity in perspective is key to robust decision-making. Bringing together a robust set of stakeholders to workshop a problem can uncover new solutions that might have not been otherwise identified. This holds true in many areas, but especially in regulatory environments, where affordability, environmental concerns, resilience, public health and safety, and equity of access may … Continued

Washington Blazes a Trail for State Action on Energy Efficiency

With the Clean Energy Buildings Act, Washington is first state to adopt an existing building performance standard. Last month, Washington State became the first state to adopt an existing building performance standard, putting it at the forefront of all states in addressing energy efficiency in buildings. This blazes a trail that others states are likely … Continued

Meet the Small Business Energy Changemakers

Small businesses spend more than $60 billion a year to power, heat, and cool their buildings. By tackling energy efficiency, every small business landlord and tenant stands to maximize operations while improving the bottom line and creating healthier, more comfortable spaces for employees and customers. However, lack of time, expertise, and access to capital make … Continued

Catalyzing Market Transformation: Jessica Miller

Jessica Miller, IMT Specialist for Public-Private Strategy and Engagement, shares why cross-sector collaboration is key to achieving national and local climate and building energy reduction goals. What do you value most about building energy efficiency and high-performance buildings? I first got into this field out of an interest in architectural history. I love cities and … Continued