Sustainability and green building initiatives don't just help the environment, they also give a big boost to the economy!
At a recent green building conference, UTC Chief Sustainability Officer John Mandyck spoke about the how green buildings can add value to three distinct stakeholders:
- Investors - Over $7.5 trillion has been invested in green buildings by institutional investors over the past five years. Fund managers prefer to invest in green buildings, as they are seen as being a better long term investment than non-green buildings.
- Owners - In the US, green buildings command a 3% higher rent rate and generate 7% higher cashflows than non-green buildings. They also command 13% higher sale prices. There is clearly a financial benefit to buy and own sustainable buildings.
- Tenants - There is hard data to suggest that sustainable buildings lead to better environments, with an estimated productivity benefit of US $6,500 per person working in buildings with an optimised indoor environmental quality.