How Do Green Buildings Affect Your Green?

February 01, 2011

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), the certification system used internationally to define “green building” through a common standard of measurement, is now over ten years old and used in more than 30 countries including the US. The program has been an effective tool in providing developers with a framework to identify and use practical methods in green design, construction, operation and maintenance.  While the LEED process has raised awareness of the impact a building has on the environment, some have doubts that it provides an accurate measure of sustainability.   Further, some engineers, architects, and now some landlords and tenants have gone so far as to suggest that the rating is hollow because it does not measure energy consumption.

If you lease space in a LEED building or are considering it, insist on data from the landlord, which proves that the building’s ecological bells and whistles are succeeding in cutting consumption and costs.  Regardless of your views on “green building”, you should be aware of its impact on your green outlay.

If you need help with your next real estate initiative, please call us.

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