Giving Compass' Take:
- Gary E. Frank reports on carbon emissions reduction in the Pittsburgh 2030 District, highlighting how it achieved a 52 percent reduction in emissions last year.
- What can other communities across the country take away from the Pittsburgh 2030 District's success in reducing carbon emissions?
- Learn more about key climate justice issues and how you can help.
- Search our Guide to Good for nonprofits focused on climate justice in your area.
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In an unparalleled achievement for urban sustainability efforts, a Pittsburgh district covering over 135 million square feet of commercial business space surpassed its carbon emissions reduction target six years ahead of schedule. The Pittsburgh 2030 District recently announced it achieved a 52 percent reduction in carbon emissions last year, exceeding its goal of a 50 to 65 percent reduction by 2030.
The built environment, including building operations, is responsible for a huge chunk of annual global carbon dioxide emissions, and it's still growing. The 2030 Districts Network, which the Pittsburgh district is a part of, is a collective of building industry leaders in cities in the United States and Canada committed to lessening that impact by reducing energy, water, and transportation-related building emissions. The Pittsburgh district is the largest member, representing about 14 percent of the network’s total square footage so far. Its achievement demonstrates what’s possible as every district in the collective works toward cutting carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2040.
Managed by the Western Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Green Building Alliance and made up of local building owners and operators, the Pittsburgh 2030 District spans over 1,300 buildings across healthcare, higher education, hospitality, technology and commercial real estate. Together, the properties reduced energy use by over 25 percent, saved $44.2 million in utility costs, and cut water use by over 33 percent — all while many businesses were returning to in-person operations after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jenna Cramer, executive director of Green Building Alliance, credits the milestone to Pittsburgh’s legacy of reinvention. “With our strong industrial roots, revitalizing the city through sustainability, energy efficiency, and green building has been essential to our reemergence as a great place to live, work and grow,” Cramer told TriplePundit.
The Green Building Alliance recently released the Pittsburgh district’s annual progress report, which highlights energy efficiency and resiliency projects completed over the past two years.
Read the full article about carbon emissions reduction in Pittsburgh by Gary E. Frank at TriplePundit.