At the IDB Group, we have a long-standing commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our corporate activities. Our program focuses on climate, energy, water, waste, and transport, and is aligned to the IDB Group strategic priorities on climate change and environmental sustainability.
Since 2007, we have worked towards carbon neutrality by reducing the carbon emissions possible and then investing in projects to compensate for the rest. This brings our effective carbon footprint to zero.
Our facilities operations make up almost half of our carbon footprint, due to the power we consume. To reduce our impact, we follow green building international standards.
Our Dominican Republic Country Office, and the two main IDB Headquarters buildings are certified LEED Platinum – the highest level of the most widely used green building-rating system in the world.
Five other offices have achieved LEED certified status: the Country Offices in Brazil, Panama, Peru, and Costa Rica, the Service Center in Costa Rica, and most recently, Jamaica. Green building certifications like LEED demonstrate our commitment to continued progress in sustainability as they are awarded only to buildings that continuously improve energy, water, and waste management.
The two main Headquarters buildings in Washington, D.C. qualified for the 2020 ENERGY STAR label, indicating they are among the most energy-efficient in the US, a recognition we have achieved every year since 2007.
We generate our own clean, carbon-free electricity for our offices in Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, Brazil, Haiti, Jamaica, and Uruguay with on-site solar panel systems. On average, these provide 33% of the electricity for these offices with the Dominican Republic’s and Nicaragua’s system meeting approximately 60% of the electricity demand of their facilities. By investing in these systems, we are also supporting local renewable-energy markets.
We increased our headquarters waste diversion from 54% to 85% in 2021. This is part of our efforts to achieve zero waste at headquarters.
We are committed to using more energy efficient vehicles. Hybrid and electric vehicles will contribute to the IDB’s carbon neutrality goal and reduce our overall carbon footprint.
Air travel is one of the biggest contributors of carbon emissions. The IDB remains focused on promoting green travel practices through reducing its business travel forecast and including green travel features on its online booking tool.
In Headquarters and in several Country Offices, we offer options for green commuting (including electrical vehicle chargers, secured bike racks, showers, lockers and/or public transport incentives). At Headquarters, 86% of personnel have a green commute.
Our office in Haiti is our greenest IDB building yet, becoming the first to satisfy more than 90% of its energy needs with Renewable Energy. 360 solar panels were recently installed for a total annual energy production of 264 megawatts per hour (MWh) which will allow the office to operate solely on solar power during working hours.
By addressing energy and water challenges, the office achieved a carbon footprint per person that is 50% below the average for all IDB Group offices. The rainwater-fed drinking water system will meet all of the office's water needs and has eliminated its reliance on carbon-intensive desalinated water.
The combination of energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy generation reduced electricity costs by approximately 30%, US$ 30,000 annually. Besides that, Water-saving projects have reduced drinking water consumption by 50%.
The combination of energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy generation reduced electricity costs by approximately 30%, US$ 30,000 annually. Besides that, Water-saving projects have reduced drinking water consumption by 50%.
In 2019, the headquarters received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Platinum level. On the other hand, the buildings at 1300 and 1350 New York Avenue first applied for ENERGY STAR® certification in 2007 and have achieved this certification almost every year since, ranking them among the most energy efficient buildings.