The move towards utilizing sustainable development techniques

Communities, cities and states across the nation - along with the federal government - are embracing the sustainable - or "green" - movement and calling on developers to produce properties that best utilize design and building techniques to diminish environmental impact and lessen a building's energy consumption. Sustainable development is a comprehensive approach to best utilize design and building techniques that diminish environmental impact and lessen energy consumption of a building, while contributing to the health of its occupants. At the outset, planning to build sustainably may infer higher prices of construction materials and longer development schedules. Conversely, the cost of this development - in which green characteristics are not only implemented, but come together to improve a building's operations - can be considerably lower in the long term, by as much as 10 times the initial investment. In the early development stages, reduced capital costs rank as the top financial benefit. Tax incentives, streamlined permitting and fewer costs for waste disposal immediately yield benefits. Reduced infrastructure costs bring the greatest savings. Green buildings traditionally have features - including improved stormwater infiltration and retention capabilities, smaller paved areas and clustered buildings - that could shorten the length of sewers and utility lines. On the tenant side, lower energy and water costs are often the most distinctive benefits, as green buildings generally use less than half as much energy as standard developments. Tenants will find that employees enjoy working in environments that have been developed with social consciousness. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), employee productivity studies show that perks of a sustainable development can improve employee efficiency by 16%. These savings flow directly to the bottom line, increasing net operating income and resulting in a higher return on investment and building valuation. Various groups and councils have worked toward identifying standards that result in sustainable development, including USGBC and the Green Building Initiative, among others. The USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary national standard that supplies a framework for assessing building performance and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development. NAIOP is an advocate for sustainable development and, along with its member companies, believes that socially-conscious development is essential to the economic vitality of the industry and the nation.