Commercial real estate services giant Cushman & Wakefield has signed on with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce the environmental impact of the more than 3,200 offices and buildings the firm manages in the U.S.

The EPA and Cushman & Wakefield, the world's largest privately held commercial real estate services firm, announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding this week. The agreement makes Cushman & Wakefield the first firm of its kind to embark on an EPA partnership to green property in the commercial real sector.

The firm's goals under the arrangement include reducing energy consumption in its managed U.S. properties by 30 percent by 2012, tracking water usage and promoting conservation, joining the EPA's waste reduction program called WasteWise and joining the agency's GreenScapes program, which emphasizes reuse of industrial materials and sustainable landscaping practices.

In addition, the company pledged it will work with its clients to achieve the goals and monitor progress toward the objectives. The firm also promised to make energy efficiency a top priority in operating its corporate sites, selecting new offices and in seeking green building certification for those spaces when feasible.

Cushman & Wakefield will report its progress to the agency every six months.

The EPA said the arrangement is similar to partnerships the agency has struck with the New York Mets for the team's new Citi Field stadium, the Destiny USA mall in Syracuse, N.Y., Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., and St. John's University in Queens, N.Y.

Energy consumption in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, an estimated 1 billion tons a year.

Founded in 1917, Cushman & Wakefield's global operations involve 227 offices in 59 countries with more than 15,000 employees. In the U.S., it manages more than 265 million square feet of commercial real estate.