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The city of Atlanta and Property Owners are taking the “Better Buildings Challenge” in order to promote environmental sustainability it the city. What is now being called The Atlanta BBC, was one of the first operations of the national Better Buildings Challenge announced by President Obama early last year. The challenge was implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy and has been created as an energy-efficiency leadership initiative. The Challenge supports commercial and industrial building owners, and any of those owners that decide to participate are provided with technical assistance and proven solutions to energy efficiency.
Atlanta’s Better Buildings Challenge was launched in November 2011 by Mayor Kasim Reed’s Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Central Atlanta Progress and other organizations. The goal of the challenge for Atlanta is to reduce their energy and water consumption by 20%.
In today’s Atlanta Environmental Sustainability Special Edition we had Scott Briskey from Sustainable Atlanta and Craig Jones from Cousins Property Incorporated on the show to discuss this new challenge that Atlanta has taken on.
Scott Briskey/Sustainable Atlanta
Established in 2007, Sustainable Atlanta is a catalyst and facilitator for sustainable progress in Atlanta. Its core focus lies in convening leaders from business, non-profits, academic, civic and governmental sectors to develop sustainable policy and programs for those who live, work and play in Atlanta. Sustainable Atlanta leverages its expertise to help orchestrate strategy, best practices, policies and programming that make Atlanta, citizens and organizations more bottom-line efficient, environmentally responsible and more competitive when attracting employers/jobs.
Scott Briskey is Director of Communications and Development for Sustainable Atlanta. With a career spanning more than a 15 years across multiple industries and disciplines, Scott has worked on a wide array of corporate communications and sustainability related projects. His career has included stints with Roy Communications, Jeanine Cooper Entertainment and Communications, Fletcher Martin Ewing and Edelman. Scott earned a B.A.in Mass Communication Arts with a focus on Public Relations from Clark Atlanta University
Craig B. Jones/Cousins Property Incorporated
Cousins Properties Incorporated is a leading diversified real estate company with extensive experience in development, acquisition, financing, management and leasing. Based in Atlanta, the Company actively invests in office and retail projects. Since its founding in 1958, Cousins has developed more than 20 million square feet of office space and 20 million square feet of retail space. The Company also provides leasing and management services to third-party investors.
Cousins has built and maintained an industry-wide reputation for innovative and sustainable developments, premium management services and top quality leadership. The Company creates and maintains value in real estate assets for the benefit of shareholders, partners and clients. Cousins Properties is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust (REIT) and trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CUZ.
Craig Jones is the Executive Vice President of Cousins Property Incorporated. Craig is responsible for the Company’s debt financings and for dispositions of Company assets and is also involved in acquisitions and in structuring of joint ventures. Previously, Craig has held other positions in the Company, including Chief Investment Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and President of the Company’s Office Division.
Craig joined Cousins in 1992 as part of the firm’s acquisition of New Market Development Company, an Atlanta-based shopping center developer. As the Executive Vice President at New Market, Craig was involved in nearly all aspects of its business, with an emphasis on development activities and debt and equity finance. Prior to New Market, Craig was a partner with the Atlanta law firm of King & Spalding.
Craig also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Central Atlanta Progress (aka CAP), a private, not-for-profit that strives to create a robust economic climate for downtown Atlanta. He is also is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, a community improvement district that levies additional property taxes on commercial property owners to fund public safety, transportation, cleaning and other initiatives.
