by jbs011809 h3 — January 21, 2009—Even as the dire financial news continues to dominate headlines, several recently released studies and reports point to green building as one of the growing bright spots for the US economy, according to the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
According to Turner Construction Company’s “Green Building Barometer,” 75 percent of commercial real estate executives—including developers, rental building owners, brokers, architects, engineers and others—say the credit crunch will not discourage them from building green. In fact, 83 percent said they would be “extremely” or “very” likely to seek LEED certification from the US Green Building Council for buildings they are planning to build within the next three years.
More than 80 percent of commercial building owners have allocated funds to green initiatives this year, according to “2008 Green Survey: Existing Buildings,” a survey jointly funded by Incisive Media’s Real Estate Forum, GlobeSt.com, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the USGBC. Some 45 percent plan to increase sustainability investments in 2009.
That same study showed that 60 percent of commercial building owners offer education programs to assist tenants in implementing green programs in their space, up 49.4 percent from 2007, illustrating a growing understanding of the importance of environmental awareness among employees and customers in addition to the use of green materials and systems.
