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Sustainable, Eco-friendly & Green...all add up to Smarter Real Estate |
In the evolving journey towards widepread sustainability and green principles, you sometimes come across stories that seem innocuous, but actually bear closer attention. One of these happens to be an announcement by the Hunt Oil Company boasting the attainment of LEED Silver Certification for Commercial Interiors for its headquarters building in Dallas.
The United States Green Building Council has just announced that it is doubling its Local LEED for Homes Network. This program, which was launched in December 2007, is a national, third-party certification system that was designed to help developers, architects, and designers utilize LEED protocols in the building of new homes.
There is no shortage of green and sustainable commercial buildings that are either currently in development or slated to be built. However, what do we do with approximately 4.5 million existing commercial properties that were not built with sustainability in mind? Are the majority of today's commercial buildings effectively obsolete and in need of replacement?
Earlier this year, United Nations Secretary General Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that part of the $1.9 billion plan to renovate the 39-story UN Headquarters along New York's East River will include an ambitious effort to bring it up to Platinum LEED standards, the highest rating awarded by the United States Green Building Council. When it’s finished, the complex’s $30 million energy bill will be cut by 40 percent.
Developers are becoming more comfortable and involved with green practices
This week, New York House magazine was the sponsor at the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) For Homes seminar at the Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Denver. This annual conference is produced by the US Green Building Council and attracts over 10,000 attendees.
Traditionally, the conference focuses on how to apply green and sustainable building practices to the commercial real estate industry. What's so special about this year's conference?
The launch of the LEED for Homes seminar has allowed the conference to make a much needed foray into the residential real estate arena. In a word, more and more residential developers are becoming more comfortable and involved with green practices, so much so that one day, green practices won't be considered practices at all—they'll just be part of doing business.
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