How LEED Applies to Different Property Types
Currently, there are nine distinct building types that can apply and either be certified LEED, LEED Silver, LEED Gold or LEED Platinum.

The Legalities of Building Green
As it moves ever closer to the mainstream, green building and LEED certification's pioneering phase is nearly over, and once the pioneers are gone from any frontier, in come the lawyers.

LEED Ratings System Announces Certification Bodies
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has grown dramatically in the past decade thanks to an overwhelming increase in consumer interest in green construction.

Green Across the Globe
The U.K. and Australian real estate companies were the first to make strides toward green initiatives. However, the United States is taking its cue from its counterparts across the globe in terms of sustainability and energy reduction.

Green Seal of Approval
Since sustainable building design and operation have caught on worldwide, REITs with international portfolios, or even those eyeing international expansion, now face a welter of certification rules and best practices in different parts of the world.

Live Green or Die
Issues like climate change and energy conservation are sure to become hot policy topics in Washington in the next four years. As the environmental debate heats up on the national political scene, will new environmental laws and regulations dramatically affect the way real estate companies do business?

Measure for Measure
Corporate social responsibility provides a new set of disclosure items for green reporting. CSR calls for companies to voluntarily undertake and disclose initiatives relating to environmental, employee and community relations, health and safety, philanthropy, human rights and other aspects of good corporate citizenship beyond the requirements of government regulation. Will more REITs adapt this type of reporting?

Editor's Desk

Green Gains
With energy prices skyrocketing and no relief in sight, the economics of making buildings more energy efficient are improving. Despite the uncertainties associated with the green movement, industry executives and observers seem confident that embracing sustainable building will benefit companies, shareholders and investors over the long haul.

Rays of Green Light
Many companies have taken the initiative to change the way they do business in order to minimize carbon footprints and reduce energy usage. Here are 14 REITs and real estate companies that exhibit leadership and have taken major strides in sustainability.

 • ABM Property Corporation

 • British Land Company

 • Corporate Office Properties Trust

 • Duke Realty Corporation

 • Forest City Enterprises Inc.

 • Liberty Property Trust

 • Macerich

 • Macquarie Real Estate Inc.

 • Parkway Properties Inc.

 • ProLogis

 • Regency Centers Corporation

 • Simon Property Group Inc.

 • UDR, Inc.

 • Vornado Realty Trust

In Closing