Nevada Energy Star Partners finish 2009 campaign

Nevada Energy Star Partners, a voluntary coalition of Southern Nevada homebuilders, developers, retailers, mortgage providers, energy consultants and local utilities promoting energy conservation, has concluded its 2009 Energy Star campaign, "Together we save." The annual awareness-building campaign, funded by contributions from partners, is designed to increase Energy Star brand awareness and promote a green lifestyle by demonstrating how easy it is to save resources at home, work, school and play.

According to Annette Bubak, Nevada Energy Star Partners president, the 2009 campaign was much more than just an advertising awareness initiative. "While the 2009 campaign continued to promote Energy Star products and services as the first choice of purchase, it included a number of other initiatives that broadened the message from focusing solely on energy conservation to a more comprehensive focus on all things green," Bubak said.

Nevada Energy Star Partners established the Green Alliance this year to bring together members of the local business community who share a common interest in green business practices, building and development and lifestyle. According to Bubak, monthly mixers continue to grow in popularity and provide opportunity to network with other like-minded professionals. Bubak plans to formalize membership in the Green Alliance next year to host additional mixers and environmental education events throughout the year.

According to Bubak, education remained a primary focus of Nevada Energy Star Partners this year. The 2009 campaign included educational seminars headlined by high-ranking representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency who helped to educate homebuilders, developers, Realtors, lenders and appraisers about new green construction guidelines, programs and consumer incentives. Nevada Energy Star Partners will participate in the upcoming Home and Outdoor Super Show to educate consumers on ways to improve energy conservation in their homes and workplaces.

The 2009 campaign also created the campaign's establishment in Northern Nevada and the inclusion of mid-, high-rise and commercial development. According to Bubak, Nevada Energy Star Partners was founded initially to work with the homebuilding industry on making new homes more energy efficient. Today, the focus has grown to include existing homes and vertical residential development as well.

"This year, our PR outreach included demonstrating just how easy it is to retrofit existing homes to make them more energy efficient," Bubak said. "We worked also with developers of mid- and high-rise projects to provide education and information about green and energy conservation building practices as they relate to mid- and high-rise development. We are very proud of our message's expansion and our statewide presence."

Bubak credits the success of the 2009 campaign to a devoted and committed group of volunteers who form the core of Nevada Energy Star Partners. "This group spends considerable personal time to help us get out the green message," she said. "They are creative, hard working and resourceful, and our success reflects that."

Bubak plans to continue to expand both the green message and the target audiences to put greater emphasis on the business community. "There's a lot of education out there on how to live a more eco-friendly life, but those practices also apply to business. It begins with the simple decision to save energy and natural resources -- and the result is a better world for everyone.

"While 'Reduce, reuse and recycle' has become a well-known green mantra, we challenge everyone to rethink and reinvent. With good, old-fashioned innovation, we'll continue to preserve global resources and environmental conditions for future generations," she said.

Energy Star, the national U.S. government symbol for energy efficiency, was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 and is now jointly implemented with the U.S. Department of Energy. Since its origin, the program has been expanded to include more than 40 product categories that conserve energy and protect the environment.

Now in its ninth year, Nevada Energy Star Partners was recognized in April 2009 by the EPA at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., with its most distinguished award, Sustained Excellence.

Nevada Energy Star Partners encourages consumers and businesses to share how they are making a difference. For more information or to submit a story or tip, visit thinkenergystar.com.