Through the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (ABBC) (http://www.atlantabbc.com/), the City of Atlanta has united with the metropolitan business and nonprofit communities to support commercial buildings in their goal of reducing energy and water use by 20% by 2020.  The ABBC’s success is due in a large part to their public/private partnership structure with partners including the City of Atlanta’s Mayor’s Office of Resilience, Central Atlanta Progress, Livable Buckhead, Midtown Alliance and Southface.  The ABBC challenges building stakeholders to demonstrate cost-effective strategies for reducing building energy and water consumption, and supports them through education, technical assistance and recognition opportunities. Program participants can benefit from reduced utility costs, fewer maintenance calls, improved tenant retention and reduced carbon footprint. Through conservation measures like lighting retrofits and HVAC upgrades, business for local service providers and installers are created - boosting the local economy as well as providing sales revenue to distributors and manufacturers of efficient products. Since 2011, the ABBC Program has grown to over 600 participating properties comprising over 114 million square feet and has created or sustained over 338 jobs.

The Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Resilience continues its leading work in policy development and reform to achieve the City’s resilience goals. The City committed in May 2017 to transition to 100% clean energy for all municipal operations and citywide by 2035. Efficiency programs such the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge will remain key to the City’s success in accomplishing that transition. Implementing Power to Change, the City's first sustainability plan, the Mayor's Office of Resilience works with all City departments and constituents to balance Atlanta’s economic growth with sustainable development, while being mindful of social justice. Through collaboration with foundations, hospitals, universities, and other stakeholders, the program develops education and training programs in key action areas for the diverse commercial sector and its stakeholders.