Green Roofs Tree of Knowledge (TOK) Energy Strategies for the 21st Century Regional Challenges of LEED Certification

Double Gold Survey Says Cities Increasingly Green Going Green at the Office Jones Lang LaSalle Forms Energy & Sustainability Services

Green Port Initiatives U.S. Green Building Council Passes Energy Performance Points Low Carbon Economy Act Targets Emissions Tax Breaks, Reforms and Incentives for Baltimore

Green Comes to Development '07 Featured Publication - Green Office Buildings Sustainable Development National Forum

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Green Roofs Tree of Knowledge (TOK) The TOK is a database on research and policy related to green roof infrastructure. The database contains information on the performance of different plants and growing media; benefits of green roof implementation; private and public economic, social and biophysical benefits as well as whitepapers.

Energy Strategies for the 21st Century Commercial property owners spend nearly $93 billion on energy annually for a portfolio of more than 4.6 million buildings totaling 65 billion square feet of space in the U.S. With average utility costs running about $2.50 per square foot, inefficiency can account for as much as 15 percent of those costs. This paper outlines the cost-saving benefits, and crucial components, of a comprehensive and strategic energy management program.

Regional Challenges of LEED Certification What do the eight climate zones in the U.S. have to do with the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating system? Find out in this article by Jamey Huser, a LEED Accredited Professional from Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Inc. The article discusses the balance between climate and HVAC systems, glazing challenges and advancements in the context of the eight climate zones as defined by ASHRAE 90.1-2004 "Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings."

Double Gold Jefferson Green is the first office building in New Mexico, and one of only a few in the world, to achieve double LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for Core and Shell and Commercial Interiors. It was designed by Dekker/Perick/Sabatini to use 45 percent less energy and 30 percent less water than a typical office building. Detailed information about this project is provided in the CD of case studies Exceptional Green Buildings available at the NAIOP Bookstore

Survey Says Cities Increasingly Green A new survey indicates that cities in 36 states are taking action to become more eco-friendly with measures such as installing energy efficient streetlights and running cars on alternative fuel. The survey also found that four in 10 cities require developers to build green. To access this article, type “Mayors Make Environmental Moves” in the USA Today search box.

Going Green at the Office What do Sun Light & Power, Nike and Google have in common? They all have green policies that impact their workers and the environment. Commercial developers like RTKL in Miami have more and more clients selecting sites specifically for their sustainable attributes as tenant attitudes about green office space begin changing. Find out more about what employers are doing in this article by Lisa Cullen. To access this article, type “Going Green at the Office” in the Times.com search box.

Jones Lang LaSalle Forms Energy & Sustainability Services The real estate management and services firm's new global service offering integrates and expands the energy management and environmental sustainability services JLL delivers to clients around the world. The program builds on recent successes of JLL's environmental sustainability efforts outlined in this press release.

Green Port Initiatives The Port of Long Beach has a 20-year history of environmental protection programs including its Healthy Harbor initiative established in 2002 and the Green Port Policy adopted in 2005. In 2006, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles adopted the Clean Air Action Plan to curb port-related air pollution from trucks, ships, trains and other equipment. Find out more about the broad measures to reduce air emissions while allowing for development of port efficiency projects in this article.

U.S. Green Building Council Passes Energy Performance Points The USGBC membership passed a vote for all LEED-certified projects to achieve at least two "Optimize Energy Performance" points within LEED. To help projects achieve the new energy reduction requirements, a prescriptive compliance path is currently under development as an alternative to energy modeling. Read more about these points and an eight-point agenda to address climate change and buildings in this press release.

Low Carbon Economy Act Targets Emissions A bill by Senator Bingaman and Representative Spector is being proposed that would allow companies to buy and sell the right to emit carbon dioxide. But to secure labor and corporate support, the measure also places a limit on the price industry would have to pay for such permits. To access this article, type “Compromise Measure Aims to Limit Global Warming” in nytimes.com search box.

Tax Breaks, Reforms and Incentives for Baltimore Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is proposing a legislative package that includes a combination of property tax credits for commercial developers, governmental reforms and other incentives to help push the green movement in Baltimore. Commercial developers could receive tax credits up to 75 percent of their bill for five years if they construct buildings at the silver, gold or platinum levels of the U.S. Green Building Council LEED standards.

Green Comes to Development '07 How do you "green" industrial properties? What is the return on investment from going green? Do tenants value a green building? NAIOP's annual conference will feature an informative discussion of these topics and more during an Industrial Green Panel session. Additional sessions include a comprehensive overview by Jonathan Fenton-Jones, commercial director of Gazeley, on the company's sustainable development practices and eco-initiatives. Other not-to-be missed highlights of the conference are a case study in synergy and sustainable design and two project tours.

Featured Publication - Developing Green: Strategies for Success Extremely practical, Green Office Buildings gives you the information to cost-effectively develop an environmentally sustainable office building. It discusses the business case for green buildings, and the nuts and bolts of site planning, design, sustainable construction, facilities management, financing and leasing, government policies and trends. Successful examples and 15 detailed case studies of high performance green office projects in the United States, Europe and Africa. To order Green Office Buildings (Member price: $74.95), or see NAIOP's other publications on green development, visit the NAIOP bookstore. Questions? Contact NAIOP's Publications Department at (800) 445-0443 or naiop@brightkey.net.

Sustainable Development National Forum Are you actively involved in developing green buildings? Consider joining the recently created General Forum on this topic. NAIOP National Forums, chaired by a prestigious group of industry leaders, are special interest groups for NAIOP members that provide exclusive networking and experience exchange with peers. For more information, visit the National Forums Web site.