There must be something to this green thing after all. After Citigroup completed its first LEED certified office parks in Irving and Los Colinas Texas and its new LEED gold certified 15 story building in Queens, it has opted to build and develop green interiors for the rest of its retail portfolio.
It isn't the first financial institution to blaze this trail, as PNC has begun greening its portfolio before they did. (See PNC Bank Recognized For Green Leadership)
Citigroup's new direction is to participate in the USBGC Portfolio Program, which according to recent news about the program,"focuses on the permanent integration of green building and operational measures--throughout a portfolio--into the standard business practices of companies and organizations."
The rationale to go green is two-fold; first the costs of LEED certification are reduced when the application is for a portfolio, and second, more obviously, "greening" reduces operational costs for the life of the buildings.
So what it seems that we're seeing here is one of the world's largest financial institutions taking the steps necessary for a cleaner and more sustainable world. However, the bigger story is the fact that as more global corporations choose green, the effects of their changes will no doubt trickle down to the local level. And that's what Citigroup's retail brances have become...a local green outlet.
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