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For Release September 27, 2008 Contact: Melissa Warren
September 18, 2008 Faiss Foley Warren
702-933-7777
NEVADA ENERGY STAR PARTNERS
FORMING ALLIANCES WITH LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNITY
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), energy conservation should constitute approximately 40 percent of any multi-resources conservation initiative because of the demand it places on our resources. In support of that recommendation, Nevada ENERGY STAR partners, a voluntary coalition of Southern Nevada homebuilders, developers, retailers, mortgage providers, energy consultants and local utilities promoting energy conservation, is actively forming alliances with other environmental groups in Southern Nevada to encourage energy conservation as a foundation for going green.
“ENERGY STAR is dedicated to promoting energy conservation through the purchase and use of products that are specially designed to use less energy – including homes, appliances and even mortgages that offer advantages and benefits to ENERGY STAR homeowners,” said Annette Bubak, president of Nevada ENERGY STAR Partners. “We recognize that energy conservation is an important first step to living a green lifestyle, yet in order to become truly green, we must also conserve water, protect air quality, recycle and take other measures to reduce our carbon footprint on the planet.”
To date, Nevada ENERGY STAR has formed official alliances with Southern Nevada Green Building Partners as well as the Las Vegas High Rise Condominium Association and EcoBrand. According to Bubak, Nevada ENERGY STAR partners is engaged in ongoing discussion with the U.S. Green Building Council, Southern Nevada Water Authority and the city of Las Vegas to form future alliances.
“One of our goals this year was to broaden our message of energy conservation by uniting with other organizations dedicated to saving and conserving resources,” said Bubak. “With strong increased consumer interest in going green and doing the right thing for the environment, we’ve received tremendous interest from many groups in our community. We will continue to form alliances and partnerships throughout Southern Nevada to reach more people and generate increased interest in conservation.”
“Thanks to the commitment of many companies, builders and public utilities in southern Nevada, ENERGY STAR has become a household word over the last decade. Consumer awareness of ENERGY STAR is more than 90 percent and more than 67 percent of all new homes are built to meet or exceed ENERGY STAR standards," Bubak said.
According to Bubak, the number of ENERGY STAR homes in southern Nevada has grown exponentially from fewer than 100 in 1998 to more than 76,600 in 2007. According to the EPA, homes built to ENERGY STAR specifications use 15 percent less energy than homes built to standard codes.
“The environmental benefits of these 76,600-plus homes is the equivalent of eliminating emissions from more than 37,00 vehicles, saving more than 227 million pounds of coal, planting more than 62,000 trees or saving more than 445 million pounds of carbon monoxide each year,” Bubak said.
ENERGY STAR, the national U.S. government symbol for energy efficiency, was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) originally for energy-conserving computers in 1992 and is now jointly implemented with the U.S. Department of ENERGY. Since its origin, the program has been expanded to include over 40 product categories that conserve energy and protect the environment – from appliances, electronics, lighting, windows and office products - to homes and even mortgages. ENERGY STAR products use less energy which reduces consumption of fossil fuels and resulting air pollution.
Now in its eighth year, Nevada ENERGY STAR includes partners representing utility companies, builders and developers, and manufacturers of energy-saving products. The partnership was recently recognized in April 2008 by the EPA at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. with its most distinguished award, Sustained Excellence. This is the sixth consecutive year Nevada ENERGY STAR Partners has received this award – a feat accomplished by no other ENERGY STAR partnership in the country.
For more information, visit the Nevada ENERGY STAR web site, www.thinkenergystar.com. Nevada ENERGY STAR Partners encourages consumers and businesses to share how they are making a difference. Please submit your story or tip on our website at www.thinkenergystar.com.
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