CB Richard Ellis honored for eco leadership.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has given CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. its 2008 Leadership Award for Organizational Excellence.

The annual USGBC Leadership Awards recognize companies and individuals who signify vision, leadership and commitment to the evolution of green building design and construction. CBRE has been honored for its leadership in environmental corporate responsibility and was presented with the award at USGBC's Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Boston.

"It is an honor to be recognized by USGBC, a premier global authority on environmental issues," said David Pogue, CBRE's national director of Sustainability. "We take seriously our obligation to improve the quality of life for our employees and for everyone who works at or visits our facilities. This award reiterates the extraordinary efforts our employees and clients have taken to affect change in the way buildings operate." The USGBC Leadership Awards also highlight individuals and organizations that have helped improve awareness of the green building movement throughout the United States.

Sally Wilson, CBRE's global director of environmental strategy, said, "As the world's largest commercial real estate services firm, we recognize that our ability to influence how real estate is built, sourced, occupied and sold is unsurpassed-- our responsibility to be a steward of the environment is a key component of our environmental commitment."

In May 2007, CBRE announced a commitment to become carbon neutral in its own operations by 2010--making it the first commercial real estate services company to announce such a goal. In addition, CBRE is assisting its clients with energy efficiency programs at much of the more than 2.0 billion square feet of building space it manages around the world.

To help it achieve this goal, CBRE has established an international task force to aggregate and share best practices on a global basis, develop educational programs for clients and employees and develop internal policies and business practices.

In the United States, CBRE has instituted a wide range of programs for the commercial buildings it manages. Currently more than 150 buildings managed by CBRE's Asset Services Group are undergoing evaluation for inclusion in a pilot portfolio LEED EB program in conjunction with the USGBC.

A recent survey by CBRE found that more than two thirds of the buildings it queried are taking proactive steps toward enhancing energy efficiency, reducing water usage and introducing paper recycling programs. More than 100 of the company's professionals have received LEED AP accreditation.

Additional programs include the mandated adoption of EPA's Energy Star program, and the adoption and use of the Building Owners and Managers Association's (BOMA) Building Energy Efficiency Program (BEEP), an extensive education program that teaches commercial real estate professionals how to reduce energy consumption. Earlier this year the EPA named CB Richard Ellis an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year for outstanding energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.