The Yudelson Associates Blog: What's New

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

California CEQA-el Promises more Green Buildings, says Consultant

Latest news from the development front: California Attorney General Jerry Brown says large/regional development project Environmental Impact Reports (EIRs) need a carbon mitigation plan before they can be deemed complete. No EIR, no development, unless you want to fight the Attorney General’s considerable powers. Developers of large projects in California that may have regional impacts will need an aggressive energy efficiency and renewables strategy to meet this requirement, I’m guessing, as well as a transit-oriented development approach. That means that marketers and technical people should start pushing these technologies and planning approaches to developer clients as a way to comply with the new state requirements. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court says carbon dioxide must be regulated as an air pollutant, look for more action on energy efficiency, green buildings and renewables from Attorneys General in many states.

Posted by Jerry on 05/23/2007 at 09:10 AM

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Saturday, May 12, 2007

Green Building Follows the Money Trail, Consultant Says

Beyond a focus on energy efficiency, major real estate investors have begun to invest in green buildings, with 41 percent already having them in their portfolio, and another 27 percent planning to do so, say Professor Gary Pivo of the University of Arizona. This proves what I’ve been saying for the past two years, that green buildings have a sound business case to make and should be in every company’s portfolio. As one example, the world’s largest warehouse developer, ProLogis, is focused on sustainability. Green building marketers, architects and consultants should become bolder in making the business case for green buildings to their clients. It’s no longer a “leadership” act, but rather a business imperative, lest developers get left behind in the general stampede to green building development.

Posted by Jerry on 05/12/2007 at 02:59 PM

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