• Energy represents the single largest controllable operatingexpense for office buildings, typically a third of variableexpenses.
• Office buildings account for nearly 20% of greenhouse gasemissions in the United States.
• If only 2,000 buildings adopt BEEP's no- and low-cost bestpractices over the next three years, energy consumption and carbonemissions will be reduced by 10%--creating $400 million in energysavings and a 6.6-billion pound drop in carbon dioxide.

Participants included Jessup, MD-based Tate's BuildingTechnology's under-floor air-delivery system that reportedly canreduce energy costs by up to 50%, a highrecycle-and-post-consumer-content carpet-tile system from LaGrange, GA 's InterfaceFLOR and a demountable architectural wallsystem called Altos from Teknion in Toronto, Ontario.

However, industry experts say even simple steps can help green abuilding. To encourage green building and renovation, BOMA has puttogether 24 strategies for increasing sustainability and optimizingperformance, ranging from conservation to environmentally-friendlylandscaping.

• Install low-flow aerators, which cost about $2 each, onbathroom faucets.
• Insert water displacement devices to limit water used in thetoilet tank.
• Consider motion-sensor faucets and cooling tower sensors.
• Switch to "dry" cleaning. Using a broom, squeegee or vacuumcleaner instead of a mop saves gallons of water.
• Reduce water pressure.
• Reset hot water thermostats to the lowest settingpossible.
• Turn off hot water heaters when buildings are unoccupied.
• Develop landscape that use indigenous plants and limitedamounts of water.
• Add composting to your landscape maintenance plan.
• Use drip irrigation or soaker hoses because they use less waterthan sprinklers.
• Schedule an annual review of your property's irrigationsystem.
• Harvest rainwater to water your building's grounds.
• Work with vendors that have recycling programs.
• Set up disposal methods to discard electronics and hazardouswaste.
• Use coreless paper products.
• Make sure your janitorial service uses green cleaningproducts.
• Clean windows and skylights to let in the light.
• Encourage tenants to turn off equipment after hours.
• Encourage tenants to use ENERGY STAR® equipment.
• Expand recycling programs to include lighting, plastics, metal,glass and cardboard.
• Institute an energy awareness program.
• Encourage tenants to reduce workplace energy consumption withwork from home policies.
• Create an electronic green newsletter to send to tenants.
• Encourage tenants and staff to use environmentally-friendlytransportation.