The Green Building Top 5 - April 29, 2015

7 New Green Projects Taking the Living Building Challenge

When the cutting-edge Bullitt Center opened in Seattle two years ago, it drew praise for its radical commitment to sustainability, as well as skepticism over the real-world economics of a zero-impact office building. Could a structure that abides by the Living Building Challenge, a new high bar for green construction that requires sustainability and self sufficiency and won't certify until a year of energy data is analyzed, not only work, but become more than a theoretical model? After looking at the numbers, the Bullitt Center actually generated 60 percent more energy than it used last year. Read Full Article

Fannie Mae Closes First Multifamily Deal to Benefit from its Green Building Certification Pricing Break

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fannie Mae FNMA, +2.68% today announced the first loan to close with its Multifamily Green Building Certification Pricing Break. The Station House, which was acquired in April by Prudential Real Estate Investors on behalf of an institutional client, is a 50-unit, mid-rise multifamily rental property in Maplewood, N.J., that has a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Wells Fargo originated the $10,175,000 million loan. As a result of the reduction in its all-in interest rate by 10 basis points (.10 percent), PREI will save more than $101,000 in interest payments over the life of the loan. The loan is securitized as "Green Mortgage-Backed Security," indicating to fixed-income investors that the bond supports reductions in impacts to the natural environment. Read Full Article

Global Revenue from Advanced Energy Reaches Nearly $1.3 Trillion

At nearly $1.3 trillion in global revenue for 2014, the market for innovative energy products and services is now as large as the market for apparel and fashion, and almost four times the size of the semiconductor industry worldwide, according to a new report commissioned by the group Advanced Energy Economy (AEE). Read Full Article

9 Ways Sustainability Drives Profit

By now, most corporate executives recognize that sustainability must be integrated into a company's core strategy. Unfortunately, not many executives understand why this is so -- or worse, they proudly wear some kind of sustainability PR badge because they have a paragraph about it on the “About Us” section of the website. Read Full Article

Jerry Yudelson Steps Down as President of Green Globes

The developer of the Green Globes rating system, the Green Building Initiative (GBI), has announced the departure of Jerry Yudelson as its president. Vicki Worden, president of communications and lobbying firm Worden Associates, has again taken the reins at GBI, where she will serve as executive director. Read Full Article