Energy Star promotes green awareness

July has been officially declared Energy Star month in proclamations issued by the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Boulder City on behalf of Nevada Energy Star Partners.

According to Annette Bubak, president of Nevada Energy Star Partners, the group has worked for more than nine years to heighten awareness of Energy Star products and services as a way to conserve energy, save on utility bills and preserve natural resources in Southern Nevada. The partnership includes builders, manufacturers, utilities, consultants and other conservation-minded companies whose contributions fund a three-month campaign.

The 2009 campaign, "Together We Save," is designed to promote Energy Star brand awareness and a green lifestyle by demonstrating how easy it is to save resources at home, work, school and play.

The partnership encourages members to make Energy Star standards the foundation for pro-environmental initiatives that also include water conservation, air quality and resource conservation.

This year, Nevada Energy Star Partners is broadening its reach by bringing together organizations and companies from a greater variety of industries and disciplines to forge a community-wide Green Alliance.

"The goal of the Green Alliance is to create opportunities for businesses and individuals interested in green practices to meet and work together via seminars, workshops, mixers and educational events," Bubak said.

Now in its ninth year, Nevada Energy Star Partners has enlarged the campaign this year via a statewide initiative that includes Northern Nevada.

"We've experienced incredible success in Southern Nevada with consumer awareness of Energy Star at more than 90 percent and more than 67 percent of all new homes built to meet or exceed Energy Star standards," Bubak said. "We want to replicate that success statewide by modeling the partnership's programs here in Southern Nevada."

According to Bubak, the 2009 Nevada Energy Star campaign has broadened to encompass all facets of residential development, including new construction, mid/high rise facilities and existing homes. In 2008, Nevada Energy Star Partners was one of only three markets in the country to launch a national pilot program for high-rise residential condominiums.

"For many years when Southern Nevada was in a period of explosive growth, it made sense to focus primarily on new construction," Bubak said. "Today, we have created initiatives to address the existing home market via retrofit programs. We are also working with manufacturers to highlight and promote Energy Star products, appliances and services. Together, these initiatives make a significant difference in reducing environmental impact while saving money for consumers."

Energy Star, the national U.S. government symbol for energy efficiency, was created by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and is now jointly implemented with the U.S. Department of Energy.

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