When Michael Jeppesen received his LEED accredited professional certification from the US Green Building Council in 2006, I was afraid to tell clients because I thought that they think being green would be a deterrent to business says the former CB Richard Ellis Broker who now develops and consults on green properties at Innovation Property Group in Salt Lake City. Today it's a different story, Jeppesen says. Green has reached a tipping point in the commercial sector, with owners of warehouses, office buildings, and even retail properties eager to embrace a greater vision of real state in all areas of the country including Charlotte NC Real Estate. In the last two years, the number of commercial buildings with the Environmental Protection Agencies in the Energy Star Certification doubled, to over 5000. More than 1300 of those were added in the first six months of 2008. Interest has exploded since the start of the program says the CEO of the EPA. The US Green Building Council LEED certification is now held by more than 2000 commercial properties. And McGraw-Hill Construction reports that green construction starts increased fivefold between 2005 and 2008, and estimates that the value of green buildings will reach 60 billion by 2010. Real Estate Associations are adding their voice to the green chorus. The National Association of Realtors is one of several real estate groups along with Real Estate Roundtable, and Building Owners and Managers Association International, and the American Hotel and Lodging Association that have adapted new policies supporting all commercially responsive strategies to promote suitable and sustainable practices and energy conversation for Charlotte NC Real Estate. Last fall, and a bar launched its green designation, which has a special track for commercial practitioners in areas around Charlotte NC. Also in 2008, the Institute of Real Estate Management signed a cooperative agreement with the US Green Building Council to discuss legislation and regulatory initiatives to help the marketplace embrace the best practices in green construction and management. BOMA has also launched a market transformation energy plan and issued a seven-point challenge to its members urging them to reduce energy consumption in their portfolios by 30% by 2012. If you're putting a property on the ground today that isn't green, it will be functionally obsolete before it's finished, says Joseph Scarpa a Broker Associate with Legend Commercial Properties Real Estate in Mount Laurel, New Jersey who recently earned the LEED professional accreditation. Major REIT’s such as ProLogis and Liberty Property Trust have committed to make all future development sustainable, and it's only a matter of time before smaller owners follow suit.

Money talks. While there are a great many outside forces advocating environmentally friendly construction, perhaps the most compelling reason for commercial owners to go green is the promise of improving their bottom line says Brenda Walraven past chair of the BOMA energy efficiency program task force. Tenants, especially larger companies understand energy efficient greener buildings will lower their costs, enhance their image, and aid in employee recruitment and retention, says Walraven managing director of National Property Management for USA a Real Estate Company a Real Estate Investment Company in San Antonio. Research backs her up. A June 2008 report by the US Gen. Services Administration on the performance of 12 sustainably designed buildings operated by the GSA found occupant satisfaction in these buildings was 27% higher than industry norms. A separate case study by the Carnegie Mellon University Center for building performance and diagnostics found that green features, such as improved airflow and plentiful natural light, could increase worker productivity by as much as 16%. As Green goes mainstream, construction costs are dropping, providing yet another financial incentive for commercial owners. Today a high-performance green building can be constructed for normally more than a traditional building.