Sustainability in the property industry continues to dominate discussion and planning.

The USA’s Business Week in March 2008 reported, in a survey of over 1300 LEED accredited buildings, that they gave energy savings, rental premiums, increases in occupancy rates and sales premiums.

We are starting to see the evidence that the breed of new buildings and upgraded building that achieve good environmental standards are outperforming the older poorer performers.

In Australia, as more green buildings come to market and tenants have a choice of green or non green, the evidence continues to show that the new Green, or high efficient and healthy buildings, are where companies prefer to be.

It may be the funds view on future proofing (that non green buildings may be a risk at some stage in the future) or it may be their sparkly new green credentials that are driving their decisions. Either way none of the major funds seems to be building new commercial stock or refurbishing old stock without using impressive Green Star and ABGR ratings and they are increasingly concerned about the potential obsolescence of older stock as they are compared to the new buildings. Green has now become the mainstream.

There is a Green Wave moving through our industry.

Things change almost weekly, the RICS Sustainable Group recognises its role and will strive to keep members informed through our e-news and training sessions.

Welcome to our first hardcopy newsletter. We hope to pull together articles we have shared with you in the last 12 months and as always bring you a little something new. I hope you enjoy it and find that it helps you and your colleagues along the path towards sustainability and the wonderful benefits it will bring.

For full downloadable version of the inaugural Sustainable News please see the right hand column.