Tower Companies Wins 2013 DC Mayor's Sustainability Award; First Two-Time Winner

Also Wins 2013 USGBC NCR Sustainable Business of the Year Award

ROCKVILLE, Md., July 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tower Companies, a family-owned pioneer builder and operator of USGBC LEED® certified residential and commercial properties in the National Capital Region, has announced that it is the winner of two awards: 2013 DC Mayor's Sustainability Awards, and the first two-time winner, having won in 2009 and also USGBC National Capital Region Awards of Excellence Sustainable Business of the Year.  Founded in 1947, the company is considered to be carbon neutral by purchasing wind power and carbon credits to offset energy usage and is an EPA ENERGY STAR® and Green Power Leader.  Across Tower's 4.5 million square feet portfolio, 90% of the properties that they own and manage are USGBC LEED® certified including 1828 L Street NW, 1909 K Street NW, and 1707 L Street NW in Washington, DC. 

DC Mayor Vincent Gray at The National Museum of Women in the Arts presented the awards.  Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, US Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator, Region III, Shawn M. Garvin and entrepreneur, philanthropist and environmental advocate, Sheila C. Johnson who presented the award to Tower's Gary and Pennie Abramson, David Borchardt, Eugenia Gregorio, Debbie Webb, Jim Lewis, Gina Beckmann and Molly King, joined the Mayor. 

The USGBC NCR Awards of Excellence Sustainable Business of the Year was presented to the Tower Companies' team during the chapter's 11^th Midsummer Night's Green Event at a ceremony attended by over 400 guests and held in the LEED Gold Homer Building in Washington, DC.

Environmental Sustainability Highlights at Tower's D.C. commercial office buildings include:

• Achieved LEED^® Gold at 1828 L & 1909 K and LEED^® Silver 1707 L St under EBOM Rating.
• Implemented Real Time Energy Management Program to reduce energy usage and to educate engineers on energy conservation best practices. Reduced energy usage at all three D.C. buildings by 17% in 2012, as compared to 2011. 
• NRDC Publication, Real-Time Energy Management in Three Large Commercial Office Buildings, will feature Tower energy savings results.
• Annual Climate Registered Partner with The Climate Registry and offsets 100% of GHG inventory with purchase of wind power RECs and Carbon Offsets.

Stakeholder Engagement Highlights:

• Built State-of-the-Art Fitness Centers and Bike Rooms for clients; hosted Bike to Work Day pit stops, and partnered with Big Wheel Bikes for client discounts. 
• Launched Sustainability Alternatives for Everyday Value (SAVE) Program to provide clients with sustainable office and personal services.
• Implemented Earth Day activities to educate & stimulate client participation.
• Established Building Green Teams to stimulate client-driven sustainability initiatives.
• Launched a new desk-side recycling program for office building clients to increase recycling rate.
• Completed transportation surveys confirming that due to client use of alternative transportation methods, the traditional (single occupant driver) commuting has been reduced by 66 to 75%. 

Community Partnership Highlights:

• Partnered with Casey Trees to provide volunteers and funding for tree planting and care events.
• Employees and Clients participated in the 2012 and 2013 Annual Rock Creek Clean Up.
• Sponsored National Building Museum's Green Schools project and adopted Shepherd Elementary School for sustainability education with NBM.
• Organized employee volunteer projects for USGBC's Green Apple Day of Service in 2012 & 2013. 
• Partnered with Geppetto Catering, a sustainable catering company, to create an office delivery community supported agriculture (CSA) program for clients.
• Partnered with Golden Triangle Rain Garden LID Demonstration Project to install four 570 SF rain gardens, designed to capture 1.3 inches of rainfall to help reduce runoff.  

The Mayor's Sustainability Awards is an annual awards competition that acknowledges outstanding achievements in sustainability made by individual, businesses, schools, institutions, and organizations.  Some of the other winners included Children's National Medical Center, CoStar Group, Mundo Verde Bilingual Public Charter School and Washington Gas Energy Services.

Contact: Elizabeth Oliver-Farrow Direct: 202.494.1977
[email protected]

SOURCE The Tower Companies