Greening the Empire State Building

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

July 13, 2009

America.gov Launches “Greening the Empire State Building” Video

Highlighting the Energy-Saving Retrofit of America’s Most Iconic Building

July 13, 2009 – Washington, DC – The iconic Empire State Building is going green – retrofitting its existing structure with today’s most efficient technology to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 38-percent.  Through a series of upgrades – replacing windows, integrating smart light systems, upgrading heating and cooling systems, and more – the building seeks to become LEED certified Gold.  With a budget of $13.2 million resulting in annual energy savings of $4.4 million, the project will pay for itself in three years.

The key team behind the project includes the Rocky Mountain Institute, Clinton Climate Initiative, Jones Lang LaSalle, Johnson Controls, and the Empire State Building Company.  The team’s goal is to create and demonstrate a retrofit model for large multi-office buildings that can be applied throughout the world.

“Greening the Empire State Building” Video Available for International Distribution

America.gov, the U.S. Department of State’s public diplomacy website, has produced a video highlighting the Empire State Rebuilding project.  The short documentary (02:22), takes an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the retrofit project with examples of commonsense measures being taken to conserve energy.

The video features interviews with Anthony E. Malkin, the owner of the Empire State Building; project executives from Johnson Controls, Jones Lang LaSalle; and building tenant Skanska.  The video also includes an interview with Scot Horst, Executive Vice President of LEED at the U.S. Green Building Council.

>>The video is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKnxDcIUfdY