References
We've already done the research for you. References (formerly Field Guides) offer links to articles, eBooks, websites, statistics, and more to provide a comprehensive overview of perspectives. EBSCO articles (E) are available only to NAR members and require the member's nar.realtor login.
Green Designation
Looking for more formal training in green property management? NAR's Green designation has a property management track. The Green designation provides real estate professionals with the knowledge and awareness of green building principles applied in residences, commercial properties, developments, and communities so that they can list, market, and manage green properties as well as guide buyer-clients in purchasing green homes and buildings.
For more information, visit the Green Resource Council webpage
Why Go Green?
Five Ways Office Property Managers are Differentiating Buildings in the New Hybrid Workplace (RE Journals, Aug. 17, 2022)
Our team has been helping owners and occupiers modify or upgrade their HVAC systems to make them more efficient and give returning workers peace of mind. These improvements have also helped us secure certifications such as the WELL Health-Safety Rating, an evidence-based, third-party designation awarded to buildings that meet a range of health-safety requirements.
Green Buildings Can Reduce City Temperatures by Up to 2°C, Study Shows (World Economic Forum, Feb. 17, 2022)
Computer modelling has shown that summer temperatures can be reduced by 2 C if seven per cent of an urban rooftop is green. Even in relatively colder cities like Toronto or New York, covering 50 per cent of the roof with plants could reduce the local temperature by about 1 C in the summer.
7 Well-Known Benefits of Green Buildings (Global Trade Magazine, Jun. 10, 2021)
Sustainability and social responsibility have become more prominent around circles of investors and potential occupiers. If your building uses green interventions, its credentials allow for increased marketability. Studies have shown that greener buildings have a high tendency to attract tenants and buyers. With the demand and technology incorporated, owners can implement higher lease and sale prices.
Commercial Real Estate’s Impact on Climate Change (Crexi, Apr. 19, 2021)
Recent evidence suggests that buildings with green features also depreciate less quickly and are more likely to meet the growing demand of discerning tenants and investors. The result is that occupancy rates are higher, with rents and sale prices potentially above-market than non-green properties.
Green Leases
Green Leases Show Commitment to Reduce Carbon Emissions (Reit.com, Sep. 12, 2022)
Tenants benefit from green leases with increased communication from their landlords, reduction in energy use and utility costs, and by making progress on their ESG goals, Lo adds. Both sides benefit from increased tracking and reporting of the building’s performance.
Green Leasing (Green Building Alliance, 2022)
One form of green leasing applies to tenants seeking LEED certification for their spaces, whether LEED for Commercial Interiors or LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors. This type of project may go hand-in-hand with a landlord’s project to attain LEED for Core & Shell certification. In either case, it must be decided who pays for and benefits from improvements, and how ongoing building operations will continue to meet LEED standards.
How Do I Green a Lease? (Green Lease Leaders, 2022)
Tenant, Building Owner, Broker, and Attorneys should include pursuit of sustainability and carbon reduction goals and any related expectations and/or requirements in its Letter of Intent
Tenant, Building Owner, Broker, and Attorneys should include green lease clauses and/or performance-based lease clauses in the lease that are aligned with stated sustainability and carbon reduction goals
Green Leases Unite Landlords and Tenants to Lower a Building’s Carbon Footprint (JD Supra, Dec. 13, 2021)
Rather than a specific type of document, a green lease refers to a series of provisions that can be added to a standard lease document. Like any lease, it can be tailored to the needs and goals of the landlord, tenant and building. When negotiating a green lease, the landlord and tenant must come to a consensus on their sustainability goals, how they will measure progress, and what will happen if either party fails to live up to their end of the bargain.
How Green Is Your Lease? (Buildings, Mar. 22, 2021)
Green leases include language that creates a partnership between tenants and landlords in this regard, Walraven said. Many leases now at least allow landlords to charge capital improvements that lower operating expenses through to the tenants. But there’s much more you can do to a lease to improve a building’s sustainability credibility and lower your operating costs in the process.
Energy Efficiency
Designing Buildings that are Both Well-Ventilated and Green (Harvard Business Review, Jan. 9, 2023)
There’s a pure business case for investing in energy-efficient buildings, too. My colleagues and I have estimated that over a 20-year period, U.S. companies that adopted green building standards saved a collective $6.7 billion in energy costs, not to mention the knock-on health benefits from reducing pollution, including averting hundreds of premature deaths and tens of thousands of missed workdays, which generated an additional $4 billion in savings.
Reducing Energy Consumption in Commercial Buildings (Mid-Atlantic Controls, Sep. 6, 2022)
Knowing that your company spends a certain amount per year cooling the building will help you decide if a particular piece of equipment will pay for itself within its estimated life expectancy. The kind of data derived from energy usage can also help you identify problem areas. Why is my company spending more on lighting than the national average?
Windows Key to Increased Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Achieving Clean Energy Economy (Energy.gov, Aug. 17, 2022)
Currently, windows are responsible for 8.6% of energy use in buildings, and they influence end uses that make up about 43% of building end use. However, by improving the performance of windows, U.S. annual energy use could reduce by 1.7%, and CO2 emissions could fall by 1.9% in 2050. Realizing these energy-efficiency gains would be instrumental to achieving carbon reduction goals outlined by the Biden Administration.
5 Ways Clean Tech is Making Commercial Real Estate More Energy Efficient (JLL, Apr. 10, 2021)
“Investment in clean tech infrastructure makes financial sense – it reduces operational costs in the long-term, while a sustainability strategy is now correlated with a forward-thinking, proactive approach. That wins business,” says Kyle Goehring, Executive Vice President, Clean Energy Solutions at JLL.
Energy Savings Results from Small Commercial Building Retrofits in the US (National Resources Defense Council, May 25, 2021)
DOE also recently released a savings determination for the ASHRAE 90.1-2019 standard for new commercial buildings, which found savings as follows: 4.7 percent site energy use intensity, 4.3 percent source energy use intensity, 4.3 percent annual energy cost and 4.2 percent carbon emissions.
Other Ways to Green Your Management
345 Hudson’s Pathway to a Low-Carbon Energy Future (Hines, Oct. 6, 2022)
The project was among the first of the Empire Building Challenge. NYSERDA and the Building Energy Exchange (BE-Ex) have launched the educational series High Rise/Low Carbon, promoting the market for low carbon retrofits of tall buildings across New York State.
Regenerative Buildings Represent the Future of Facilities (Facilities Net, Aug. 29, 2022)
A regenerative building goes beyond sustainability creating a positive impact in multiple areas such as climate change, biodiversity, and water. Furthermore, in a regenerative building, the design is not static and human and natural systems evolve together. Regenerative design promotes a better world.
Top 3 Trends from the 2022 Green Lease Leaders (Smart Energy Decisions, Jun. 10, 2022)
Those who stick with traditional leases are going to be increasingly less competitive when it comes to tenant demand and will continue to bear larger energy costs. Green Lease Leaders are positioning themselves at the leading edge, ready to take advantage of these market shifts.
Learning from Green Buildings: 10 Pathways to Eco-Friendly Property Management (Buildium, Jul. 19, 2021)
Green building management describes not only retrofitting or building properties that are environmentally-friendly, but also managing properties that were sustainably built to benefit both the environment and the health of residents.
Measure the ROI of Green Property Management (BuildingEngines, Jun. 16, 2021)
After upfront investments, green property management yields big-time savings down the road. Consider: LEED buildings report almost 20 percent lower maintenance costs than standard commercial buildings. Green building upgrades typically decrease operation costs by up 10 percent in in the first year.
Websites, Journals & Certification Programs
US Green Building Council — Committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildingsEnergy Star for Buildings and Plants — Created in 1992 by the EPA, the Energy Star program has since gone international and is one of the leading marks for energy efficiency in the world for consumer goods, homes and buildings
Sustainability — BOMA International's green resource page
Green REsource Council — The website for NAR's Green designation
LEED Rating Systems — The leading commercial building certification standard in the United States, sponsored by the US Green Building Council
Green Lease Library – Created by the Institute for Market Transformation, this is a centralized site for commercial green leasing resources.
eBooks & Other Resources
eBooks.realtor.org
The following eBooks and digital audiobooks are available to NAR members:
The Green Building Bottom Line (eBook)
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Greening Your Business (eBook)
Conservation for Cities (eBook)
Green Buildings A to Z (eBook)
Green Business Practices for Dummies® (eBook)
Healthy Buildings (eBook, Audiobook)
Land Use Law for Sustainable Development (eBook)
Reinventing Green Building (eBook)
Smart Green: How to Implement Sustainable Business Practices in Any Industry—And Make Money (eBook)
Sustainable Energy Systems in Architectural Design (eBook)
Sustainable Facilities (eBook)
Sustainable Property Development (eBook)
How to Design and Build a Green Office Building (eBook)
Retrofitting Office Buildings to Be Green and Energy-Efficient (eBook)
Books, Videos, Research Reports & More
As a member benefit, the following resources and more are available for loan through the NAR Library. Items will be mailed directly to you or made available for pickup at the REALTOR® Building in Chicago.
A Practical Guide to Green Real Estate Management (Chicago: IREM, 2009) NA 2542 K6
Lease Guide: Guide to Writing a Commercial Real Estate Lease including Green Lease Language (Chicago: BOMA International, 2008) HD 1384 T23
Green Retail: Selected Readings, Oct. 2007 (Washington DC: Urban Land Institute, 2007) NA6230 Ur1g
Green Buildings: Selected References, September 2006 (Washington DC: Urban Land Institute, 2006) NAC 250 Ur1gb
Green Buildings Pay (New York: Spon Press, 2003) NA 2542 G72
Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Real Estate (Abingdon: Routledge, 2018) HD 1390.R684 2018
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