[B]URLINGTON — Mayor Miro Weinberger says the city has formally joined the 2030 Districts Network, a global organization aimed at cutting in half greenhouse gas emissions produced by buildings by the year 2030.
In announcing the move at a launch party last week, the mayor said Burlington 2030 District has aligned with 19 other cities — including Seattle, San Francisco and Toronto — and committed 6 million square feet to the project through community and business partnerships.
The public/private nonprofit program, which the city has been working with during the past year, is primarily focused on reducing the amount of energy used to operate buildings, which produce about 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
Weinberger said 22 organizations and individual property owners in the city have signed on to the local effort, committing to the use of planning techniques that mitigate the release of gases that contribute to climate change.
Burlington’s membership means that all city buildings, including City Hall and Memorial Auditorium, will work to meet those planning goals.
Jenna Antonino DiMare, executive director of the Vermont Green Building Network, is leading the Burlington 2030 District effort.
She and Cx Associates, an engineering consulting firm, have been working together to enlist members and develop plans for energy consumption reductions.
In addition to the sustainability aspect of the program, campaign organizers also stressed that they want to create economic incentives for green engineering and building practices in the private sector.
Jeff Nick, president of J.L. Davis Realty and a private partner of Burlington 2030 District, underscored that point at the Union Station launch event.
“I know there are a number of private property owners who don’t even know what the word sustainability means,” Nick said, “but they do know rate of return on investment. If you can take those two concepts, we will have a lot of success.”
Weinberger said that the 2030 District approach to sustainable building development has been a part of the city’s vision for nearly 40 years.
”This initiative has been in line with the city’s goal since the 1980s,” the mayor said. “It is kind of amazing that it has taken us until tonight do this.”
Current members of Burlington 2030 District are the City of Burlington, Burlington School District, Burlington Town Center, Champlain College, City Market, Dore and Whittier Architects, Farrell Real Estate, Freeman French Freeman, Homeport, Main Street Landing, Nick & Morrissey Development, Pomerleau Real Estate, the Soda Plant and University of Vermont Medical Center.
It is funded by Burlington Electric Department, Vermont Gas Systems and the Vermont Green Building Network.
Correction: Jenna Antonino DiMare is not an architectural engineer; she has professional background in landscape architecture.
