Green Gains Ground

The trend toward GREEN in real estate is gaining momentum in the US and abroad.  Driven by the US Green Building Council and new legislation at all levels of government, many real estate professionals are seeing the writing on the wall.  Go GREEN or get left behind.  Whether this is a trend that will last or simply a fad remains to be seen, but the GREEN movement is impacting real estate perhaps more than anything else.  Sustainability, or the ability to endure, is the foundation of the GREEN movement.  The GREEN movement's influence in real estate stems from the fact that buildings are the single largest polluter of our environment.  Buildings emit pollutants such as carbon dioxide into our air, a major cause of air pollution and global warming.  Buildings also utilize natural resources both during and after the construction process.  As a result, it makes sense that if we construct buildings to be more water and energy efficient, we will help the environment endure or be more sustainable.  The US Green Building Council offers a LEED Certified, Sliver, Gold, or Platinum designation.   Obviously, LEED Platinum designation is the most coveted designation and signifies a building is very energy and water efficient.  The Bank of America Building in downtown New York (shown in video below) is seeking a LEED Platinum designation.