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Edmonton City Hall—one of the country's BESt municipal government buildings.

Edmonton's city hall has achieved BOMA BESt-Level 1 certification under Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada's (BOMA Canada's) environmental program for existing commercial buildings.

The 17-year-old building met the requirements of the BOMA program through a series of strategies to reduce energy consumption and improve indoor environment quality. These included:
• conversion to low-energy lighting;
• replacement of old carpeting with more environmentally responsible materials;
• use of more efficient HVAC systems; and
• procurement programs for ecologically preferable cleaning products.

The certification is part of the city's EcoVision Edmonton program, but the achievement is particularly timely given the building will be hosting the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) World Congress. The group, which will meet in Edmonton this June to discuss sustainability, includes 200 local governments from more than 40 countries.

To meet BOMA BESt standards, buildings must follow BOMA Canada's Go Green Best Practices, which include energy and water audits, energy management and reduction plans, recycling programs, hazardous materials management, indoor environment management, and tenant communications. Edmonton and Winnipeg are currently the only Canadian city halls to achieve the designation.