Experts Make a Solid Business Case for Green

PITTSBURGH-Holdouts passing off the sustainability issue as a tree-hugger’s passion with no place in a for-profit business plan would get an education if they were in Pittsburgh this week. Speakers at Developing Green: Integrating Sustainability With Success, a two-day conference being sponsored here by the Urban Land Institute, are making a strong business case for going green.

Yes, building sustainable environments does cost more upfront–as much as 10% more, depending on how green you go. But the phrase used repeatedly in conference sessions is “Cost Neutral,” meaning simply that upfront costs are mitigated by downstream savings.

“Our goal is zero cost or a net reduction in operating costs,” said Brenna Walraven, an executive managing director at USAA Real Estate Co. in Irvine, CA. Walraven spoke at a session entitled “Greening Existing Buildings: Getting the Biggest Bang for the Buck.” At the end of the day, said Walraven, who is also BOMA International’s chair-elect, building green is about high performance. USAA is “not a charitable organization, and this is an important way to execute our fiduciary responsibility.”