JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Green Beanie Winner

American Jewish Committee

http://www.ajc.org AJC was determined to become one of the first Jewish nonprofits in the country with green certification for its national headquarters. To achieve that goal, the organization embarked on a multi-year process for compliance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating Systems. To assure success, AJC created a new staff position, Green Project Manager, in 2006. In January 2008, the federal Environmental Projection Agency’s Green Power Partnership named AJC to the elite Energy Leadership Club, in recognition of AJC’s purchase of Green Power to meet 100 percent of its U.S.-based electricity usage. In fact, according to the EPA, AJC is the third largest nonprofit green power-purchaser nationally among Green Power Partners, just behind the Inter-American Development Bank and The World Bank Group. Based on a national average of emissions rate, AJC's green power purchase is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions of more than 200 passenger cars each year. AJC is purchasing 2 million kilowatt hours of green power by obtaining wind and biogas renewable energy credits). Known as RECs, the credits are a practical step to promote decreased dependence on foreign sources of power. To further reduce energy consumption, in 2007, AJC completed the implementation of a lighting reduction program. Elements included removing unnecessary fixtures; replacing fixtures in all offices and common spaces with more efficient equipment using T5 florescent bulbs, and installing occupancy sensors in individual offices and bathrooms so lights automatically turn off if no motion is detected. These energy-efficient improvements have resulted in a 20-percent reduction in monthly electric bills. Significant progress also has been achieved in recycling. In addition to encouraging recycling around the office (currently, 95 percent of paper waste is recycled), paper purchased for use by AJC is 30 percent recycled paper stock (even though LEED requires only 10 percent recycled). Sensitive to the reality that cleaning chemicals can be harmful, AJC implemented in 2005 a "green" cleaning policy. Fortunately, the company long contracted to clean the offices, bathrooms, conference rooms and other areas was willing to cooperate and has replaced traditional cleaning methods with less toxic and more eco-friendly alternatives. Products are based on hydrogen-peroxide (H2O2) or H2orange. The cleaning company AJC engages, like firms used in most New York office buildings, converted to using green products. Another challenge involves renovating offices. For recent jobs, and any future renovation, care is given to purchasing office furniture, wall paneling and flooring that are sustainable. That requires examining the contents and sources of wood and other products used. The major long-term project, given the age of the building, will be replacing the HVAC system. Necessary to save energy, it also will contribute to staff health, and will be the final phase to obtain LEED certification. This will include replacing the main building air chiller and installing a computerized building management system that can monitor the amount of fresh air in the building and monitor the amount of CO2 in the air. The mechanical systems upgrade is expected to reduce energy usage by up to 35 percent. In addition, AJC introduced in 2006 a Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Bonus Program. Full-time AJC employees working in any of the organization's offices across the U.S. are eligible to receive cash incentives to purchase new hybrid cars. The program is believed to be the first offer of its kind to employees of any non-profit organization in the United States. For a video of this initiative click here.

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