BOMA International recently hosted its Public Policy Symposium on Decarbonization in Washington, D.C. The symposium took place on March 14, 2023 and featured ten panel sessions deliberately built around the notion of educating attendees on "implementing vetted decarbonization strategies from phase one," as reckoned by a BOMA press release.
The one-day event was the first in what the organization says will be a yearly public policy forum hosted by BOMA International. The goal of these forums is to gather experts and thought leaders from across the industry to have an open dialogue on carbon reduction and methods that are being implemented around the world.
BOMA International president and COO Henry Chamberlain commented:
“BOMA has been the leading association promoting high performance, energy-efficient buildings through all of our programs for many years and has expanded that effort now to focus on carbon reduction strategies. We play a unique role in bringing together subject matter experts from the private and public sectors to create a future roadmap for the commercial real estate industry.”
Per BOMA, panel sessions at this year's symposium, by title, focused on topics including:
- Design & Build: Sustainability
- ESG Program Development & Staffing Sustainability
- Data Tracking & Analysis
- The Role of Codes and Standards in Decarbonization
- Decarbonization Strategies
- International Decarbonization Strategies
- GSA – The General Services Administration
- The Latest from ENERGY STAR
- Policy and Legislation
- Leasing & Building Operations Performance
"I’m glad that BOMA is taking a leadership position and coalescing stakeholders, because if we can all get on the same page about things, we can get momentum and make progress,” said Brenna Walraven, BOMA Fellow, BOMI-HP, CPM, RPA president and CEO of corporate sustainability strategies.
BOMA said that, going forward, it expects the symposium's forum will be a great opportunity for industry stakeholders to learn from sustainability experts, the better to remain ahead of constantly changing benchmarks and standards in decarbonization, the title given to the global effort to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions created by the generation and consumption of energy from fossil fuels.
The following video recaps BOMA International's Policy Symposium, and features interviews with BOMA Executive Committee members Christine Alamed, Manny Moreno, and Randal Froebeliu sharing their thoughts on BOMA's leadership position in decarbonization efforts across the building industry.
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