Despite a challenging 2020 and a turbulent start to 2021, I am hopeful. As the vaccines roll out, and the day-to-day pressures of the pandemic subside, we can re-focus on our greatest existential threat and economic opportunity: climate change. While COVID-19 has led to a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions, we must continue on this lower emissions path as the global economy turns back on.
I am proud that Bright Power is part of the solution, driving triple bottom line solutions that are financially beneficial while also helping the environment and improving human well-being. In 2020 alone, Bright Power helped clients reduce their carbon emissions by almost 400 million pounds across over 94,000 buildings (or eliminating enough carbon dioxide to fill three apartments in each of those buildings)!
Leading cities and states have been driving us to do more, faster. Cities such as New York, Boston, St. Louis, Atlanta, Reno, and Washington, D.C. and states including California, Washington, Colorado, and New York already have made climate commitments that will affect the way all of us live in, work in, learn in, and operate buildings. They see the promise of clean energy, higher performing buildings, and a healthier environment. And with the U.S. rejoining the Paris Agreement, we have federal leadership on climate change once again.
Leaders in the private sector are pushing forward to address climate change. Many of our clients and partners have committed to exceed the minimum mandates outlined in energy laws across the country. They are future-proofing their portfolios, reaping the full economic benefits of high-performance, energy-efficient buildings that are more competitive and desirable today, while contributing to a more sustainable future for us all.
It can seem daunting to think of the effort needed to meet the necessarily ambitious targets that will get us to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. But we can do it if we work together towards a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable society where everyone profits.