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EPA Honors Major Commercial Landlord’s Pledge to Reduce Mercury

Release Date: 04/01/2008
Contact Information: Donna Heron 215-814-5113

PHILADELPHIA (April 1, 2008) In a ceremony today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic region recognized CB Richard Ellis, the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm, for its membership in the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities. The program challenges businesses and manufacturers to become more environmentally aware, and to adopt a resource conservation ethic that results in less waste, more recycling, and more environmentally-sound products.

CB Richard Ellis, which manages more than 1.1 billion square feet of commercial, properties and corporate facilities across the Americas, has pledged to reduce its mercury waste by 233 pounds no later than December 2008. To achieve this goal the company will recycle rather than dispose of approximately one million fluorescent light bulbs which contain mercury.

“CB Richard Ellis has demonstrated its environmental leadership in the past, but today joins in the larger challenge,” said Abraham Ferdas, director of the Waste and Chemical Management Division in EPA’s mid-Atlantic region. “By enrolling in this voluntary national program, CB Richard Ellis becomes a true industry leader by addressing chemical risks in its properties across our nation and by increasing the conservation of resources.”

The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Program encourages public and private organizations to form partnerships with EPA that commit to reduce the use or release of any of 31 priority chemicals. These priority chemicals have been targeted because they can accumulate in living organisms or have high toxicity levels. EPA, working in conjunction with the public and various industries, has set a goal to reduce the use or release of four million pounds of priority chemicals by 2011.

By recycling fluorescent lights, the amount of potential mercury released into the environment is reduced. Mercury is a neurotoxin which can negatively impact human health. Children and pregnant women are especially sensitive to the effects of mercury exposure. Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.

The National Partnership for Environmental Priorities is just one component of EPAs Resource Conservation Challenge, a national effort to minimize waste through resource conservation, recycling and re-use.

In addition to its membership in EPA’s national partnership, CB Richard Ellis was also named as an EPA ENERGY STAR partner of the year for 2008. ENERGY STAR is a joint program administered by EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy, which helps consumers and the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

For more information about the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities, go to: https://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/minimize/npep/index.htm

For more information on the Resource Conservation Challenge, go to: https://www.epa.gov/rcc