Green Buildings Services hopes that new requirements will spur owners to make carbon-reducing changes.

Owners of commercial buildings around the United States are increasingly recognizing the fact that the process of "greening" their buildings has many benefits, according to Elaine Aye of Green Building Services.

In a Webinar held last week, Aye said more and more building owners are viewing their facilities as more of a "strategic tool" than just a "capital asset."

Aye is a principal with Green Building Services, which specializes in green consulting. In the Webinar she was joined by Green Building Services senior consultant Scott Spear. The Webinar was titled "Benchmarking Buildings Toward LEED-EB OM Certification."

Aye said green buildings can be strategic tools by increasing productivity, reducing operations and maintenance costs and reducing energy and water use. She said a recent study by CoStar showed that third-party green-certified buildings outperform their counterparts in energy savings, occupancy rates, sale prices and rental rates. [Read full article]

By Sam Bennett,

DJC Oregon - December 16, 2008