A national survey of the commercial real estate sector reveals that nearly two-thirds of respondents have allocated funds to green initiatives, while the majority said that their sustainability investment will increase in 2008.

The study was conducted by the New York-based Building Owners and Managers Association International, the US Green Building Council and others. Other findings included the following:

• Green buildings boast occupancy rates between 75% and 100% for a majority of those responding. For 21% of respondents, the increase is due directly to green initiatives.

• 60.8% of responding executives claimed a return on their green investment.

• Respondents were almost evenly split on whether local municipalities should mandate energy efficiency in buildings. Many felt that any mandate should be offset by incentives or apply only to new construction.

• Maintaining a green building is not typically more expensive than a comparable non-green building asset.

Green Council, Spec Institute Sign Memorandum

The Construction Specifications Institute and the U.S. Green Building Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to exchange information on sustainable building and maintenance practices.

It articulates several areas of joint interest, including development of documentation practices and procedures that achieve sustainability in construction.

“Key to this is the opportunity for members of each organization to collaborate on the development of practices and procedures to achieve sustainability in construction,” says CSI Executive Director Walt Marlowe.

Report Lists 200 Items For Sustainable Landscapes

A preliminary report features more than 200 recommendations for designing and building sustainable landscapes as part of the Sustainable Sites Initiative, a partnership among the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary guidelines and rating system.

The report represents thousands of hours of work by 32 experts in fields ranging from design and construction to soils, hydrology and public health. The findings examine the positive environmental impact sustainable landscapes offer.

For example, appropriate vegetation can help control erosion, filter out pollutants, provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators and supply oxygen for the air we breathe. The report also details practices that degrade landscapes and should be avoided, as well as techniques for designing landscapes that benefit the environment.

The report is the first of three for the Sustainable Sites Initiative. A purpose of releasing this preliminary work is to solicit feedback, comments and additional information from professionals and other stakeholders who can contribute to knowledge about ways to achieve sustainable landscapes. Those who are interested can join the review process at www.sustainablesites.org on the Internet.

Eventually, Sustainable Sites will create a rating system that will apply to large and small sites, and can be used independently or incorporated into other green rating systems. The U.S. Green Building Council is lending its support to this project and plans to adopt the Sustainable Sites metrics into future versions of the LEED Green Building Rating System.