Smith of Coldwell Banker Commercial NRT addresses LICN members

Edward Smith Jr., regional director at Coldwell Bandker Commercial NRT, spoke about green and sustainability as it relates to real estate. He defined sustainability and provided statistics on buildings in the United States. A large percentage were shown to use energy inefficiently and are huge contributors to greenhouse emissions. These emissions are considered to be primary causes of global warming the results of which we are already seeing in the form of climate change, and extreme weather. This often results in huge expenses to government and the general population. The not so obvious result reducing cattle supply, crops and damage to real estate. He then looked at the bottom line and what it can cost a property owner to make smart changes that will save them money while protecting the environment. Smith looked at some of the options identified by LEED to save money, reduce energy consumption and improve the environment for building occupants. He highlighted some of the buildings that successfully implemented LEED design that can be found. The audience was intrigued and the meeting well attended. LICN is all about educating its members.