PRESS RELEASE: New Partnership Between BOMA and EIA Brings Sustainability Education to Building Pros

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To help building professionals better realize the cost savings and performance enhancements of green buildings, the Building Owners and Managers Association Silicon Valley (BOMA SV) and the Environmental Institute of America (EIA) announced a partnership today to provide sustainable commercial real estate management education to BOMA members.

The new alliance gives BOMA members access to special pricing when attending EIA’s LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) preparation courses. In addition, BOMA members will have to access EIA’s unique workshop on sustainability financing to learn how federal, state and local incentives can be used to maximize returns on sustainability investments.

“BOMA has long taken a leadership position in the education of building professionals,” said Alex Thatcher, CEO of the Environmental Institute of America. “This partnership is a model for BOMA locals throughout the nation to help their membership develop the key sustainability skills to reduce costs associated with owning and managing buildings.”

“EIA was our first choice to provide LEED education,” said BOMA SV EVP Robert “Bob” Jacobvitz. “EIA provides actionable education with a real-world perspective. BOMA is proud to make their high-caliber instructors and educational packages available to its members at this critical time of economic recovery.”

About the Environmental Institute of America, Inc.

The Environmental Institute of America, Inc (EIA) is a leading education provider that helps individuals and businesses attain the knowledge, skills and accreditations needed to succeed in the new green economy. EIA’s broad curriculum includes LEED® education, energy efficiency retrofit training, solar photovoltaic training, carbon auditing and commercial sustainability management. For further information, visit www.eiofa.com or call Kirsten Nelson-Johnson (415) 615-2435.

About BOMA Silicon Valley

BOMA Silicon Valley represents and promotes the interests of the Silicon Valley commercial real estate industry through leadership, advocacy, education, professional development and cultivation of relationships. Its Principal members manage approximately 75 million square feet of rental commercial real estate. BOMA SV membership territory includes Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties in California. For information on BOMA Silicon Valley, visit their website at www.boma-sv.org or call Bob Jacobvitz at (408)453-7222 or email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Historic Buildings: Our Greatest and Most Undervalued Asset in Green Building

by Kirsten Nelson-Johnson

Historic preservationists have long touted the environmental and sustainable aspects of their work, and now that work is beginning to reflect in the LEED green building rating system. Not only do historic buildings educate about history and help organizations connect to their communities; but they most often feature beautiful architecture worthy of preservation. With their antiqueness, historic buildings present a unique set of challenges for their maintenance and renovation. Unlike most new-construction projects, historical renovations often hold surprises. In planning and carrying out historical renovations, multiple ratings systems and codes must be considered by managers teaming with architects and contractors.

The biggest challenge is maintaining historical integrity while incorporating modern accessibility pre-requisites, fire-code compliance requirements, and the addition of LEED certification standards.

Is the Bloom Box the Future of Energy Efficiency?

by Kirsten Nelson-Johnson

 Bloom Energy's Bloom box made its long anticipated debut last week. Bloom Energy is well funded clean-energy startup which thus so far kept critical parts of its business plan secret as it launches its first product. With around $400 million in venture funding, Bloom Energy is one of Silicon Valley's most closely watched startups.

Bloom Energy claims that its box can produce more energy – with less environmental damage – than other fuel cells on the market because it's not solely reliant on hydrogen to trigger the chemical reactions to generate power. A Bloom box energy server can provide 100 kilowatts of power by converting natural gas or other hydrocarbons into electricity pretty much on demand. It can also use wind or solar power and whatever else is available, which varies from community to community. Using wind or solar requires an extra step to convert the energy into something that could power the fuel cells, which can result in some energy loss. One of the easiest ways to power the Bloom box is to hook it up directly to a natural gas line.

Founded in 2001, Bloom has been secretive about its technology and hasn't offered many new details on how it plans to make its promising fuel-cell technology affordable enough, especially for large portions of the population to buy for residential use.