E.P.A. Recognizes Major Commercial Landlord’s

PHILADELPHIA (April 1, 2008) In a ceremony today, the E.P.A.'s mid-Atlantic region acknowledged CB Richard Ellis, the world's biggest commercial real estate services firm, for its membership in the Countrywide Partnership for Environmental Priorities. The plan challenges businesses and manufacturers to become more environmentally aware, and to adopt a resource conservation ethic that results in less waste, more recycling, and more environmentally-sound products.

CB Richard Ellis, which manages in excess of 1.1 billion square feet of commercial, properties and corporate facilities across the Americas, has pledged to reduce its mercury waste by 233 pounds no later than December 2008. To achieve this goal the company will recycle rather than dispose of approximately one million fluorescent light bulbs which contain mercury.

"CB Richard Ellis has demonstrated its environmental leadership in the past, but today joins in the larger challenge," said Abraham Ferdas, director of the Waste and Chemical Management Division in EPA's mid-Atlantic region. "By enrolling in this voluntary Countrywide program, CB Richard Ellis becomes a true industry leader by addressing chemical risks in its properties across our nation and by increasing the conservation of resources."

The Countrywide Partnership for Environmental Priorities Plan encourages public and private organizations to form partnerships with E.P.A. that commit to reduce the use or release of any of 31 priority chemicals. These priority chemicals have been targeted because they can accumulate in living organisms or have high toxicity levels. EPA, working in conjunction with the public and various industries, has set a goal to reduce the use or release of 4 million pounds of priority chemicals by 2011.

By recycling fluorescent lights, the amount of potential mercury released into the environment is reduced. Mercury is a neurotoxin which can negatively impact human health. Children and pregnant women are especially sensitive to the effects of mercury exposure. Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.

The Countrywide Partnership for Environmental Priorities is just one component of EPAs Resource Conservation Challenge, a Countrywide effort to minimize waste through resource conservation, recycling and re-use.

In addition to its membership in EPA's Countrywide partnership, CB Richard Ellis was also named as an E.P.A. ENERGY STAR partner of the year for 2008. ENERGY STAR is a joint Plan administered by E.P.A. and the D.O.E., which helps consumers and the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

For more information about the Countrywide Partnership for Environmental Priorities, go to: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/npep/index.htm

For more information on the Resource Conservation Challenge, go to: http://www.epa.gov/rcc

For more information on Energy Star, go to: http://www.energystar.gov

There are currently no comments for this story. Be the first to add a comment!
Click here to add a comment about this story.