Businesses committed to conservation lauded

The Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience and its partners honored top commercial businesses committed to energy and water conservation during the 20162017 Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge annual recognition event on July 12. The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, led by the Office of Resilience in partnership with Livable Buckhead, Central Atlanta Progress, Southface and Midtown Alliance, works to reduce energy and water consumption by at least 20 percent in participating buildings across Atlanta by 2020.

To date, Atlanta is leading the nation with more than 114 million square feet of commercial space committed to energy and water efficiency, officials said. In addition, the challenge has created more than 273 jobs.

Buildings recognized as top performers produced the highest levels of energy and water savings in 2016.

The MVP award recipients include:

■ College/University: Emory University

■ Office Building: Georgia-Pacific Center

■ Entertainment Venue: Atlanta History Center

■ Distribution Center/Warehouse: Atlanta Community Tool Bank

■ K-12 Schools: Fulton County Schools

■ Public Service: Hemphill Water Treatment Plant

■ Healthcare: T3 Labs

■ Multi-family: AMLI Residential

■ Individual Champion: Michael Lopez, Cousins Properties