Inspired by the White House's Better Buildings Challenge (BBC) and President Clinton's pioneering work to promote sustainable buildings, the California Best Buildings Challenge consists of industry-leading firms with a strong California presence that have committed to reduce their building energy, water and waste by 20 percent in two years.
Adobe, Genentech, Google, PREI, SAP and Zynga have stepped up to kick off the challenge, collectively committing five million square feet of building space from their portfolios.
USGBC and its Northern California Chapter launched the California Best Buildings Challenge as a 2012 CGI America Commitment to Action and are working to inspire other leading companies to sign on.
The commitment was selected by CGI America as an exemplary approach to addressing challenges in the clean electricity and efficiency space.
"We are pleased to have these leading-edge organizations on board with this incredibly meaningful challenge," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC.
"The California Best Buildings Challenge is raising the bar in terms of what is expected in the realm of corporate sustainability. We are eager to prove that curbing energy and water use and reducing waste by 20 percent in two years is not only possible, but a must-do. The goal is for this type of achievement to become the norm."