Every year, the City of Saint Paul celebrates building owners for their work in prioritizing energy efficiency. 2020 marked our third annual Race to Reduce Recognition Ceremony. Mayor Carter and the Energize Saint Paul team formally recognized to building owners, managers, engineers, and others involved in energy benchmarking. Special recognition was given to buildings in three categories which can be found further down this page. Additionally, a few building managers gave us a brief look into what their organization is doing to go the extra mile in making efficiency a priority, including electrification, installing high-efficiency appliances, and investing in renewables.
The 2020 Recognition Ceremony differed from previous years for a few reasons. Due to COVID-19, it was the first ceremony to be held virtually. 2020 also marked the first year of the City ordinance requiring buildings at or above 100,000 square feet to benchmark their energy use. Currently, buildings account for about 60% of the city's greenhouse gas emissions, and the ordinance reflects the City's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The work that these building owners do every year in tracking their energy use and making energy efficiency improvements to their buildings goes a long way in reducing the city's carbon footprint.