Incentives For Midwestern Developers To Go Green

Originally published in Law360, New York, November 2009.

Law360, New York (November 09, 2009) -- Buildings in the U.S. use over one-third of the world's energy consumption, and account for 40 percent of both the country's energy consumption and the nation's greenhouse gas emissions, plus over 70 percent of the U.S. consumption of electricity.

Despite common assumptions that today's environmental concerns stem from automobile emissions and industrial pollution, buildings actually have a comparably greater impact on the planet's environmental dilemma.

Significantly, a mere 8 percent of a building's environmental impact occurs during construction, while the remainder happens throughout the building's operational life; therefore, environmentally conscious real estate professionals should focus their efforts on energy-efficient buildings.