by Jbs030210 h3 — March 5, 2010—The Green Office Challenge, a program created by City of Chicago and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA in 2009, is being adopted by four more local governments: City of Charleston, SC; Nashville, TN; City of San Diego/Port of San Diego, CA; and Arlington County, VA.
ICLEI was founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. It is an international association of local governments as well as national and regional local government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development.
ICLEI selected these pilot communities to develop the Challenge, a program that engages property managers and office tenants in a friendly competition to save money and reduce energy use in their buildings, as well as reduce waste, save water, and reach other environmental goals. ICLEI says it chose the communities because they demonstrated they already have sustainability initiatives in place, as well as the staff expertise, resources, commitment, and political will in place to achieve long-term success.
ICLEI says the Green Office Challenge is differentiated from other local programs for green business operations by competition and recognition, its two keys to success. The group says office tenants and property managers are motivated to participate in a fun and friendly competition that requires keeping score, with the chance of receiving an award from the city and recognition in the media and branding their companies as environmental leaders.
Due to its innovative model and its success in Chicago, many local governments have expressed interest in the Green Office Challenge. ICLEI is working to make the program replicable for local governments across the country; a first step is to develop the program in these four pilot communities, which will receive guidance and technical support from ICLEI. ICLEI is also developing an implementation guidebook and creating a Green Office Challenge network for local government staff to share ideas, questions, and challenges through monthly conference calls.
