CHICAGO- Many brokers have begun noticing that an increasing number of clients, both landlords and tenants, want it known that their companies support energy sustainability. And in recent years, the Chicago-based firm Jones Lang LaSalle has been bringing many of them together to sign “green leases,” agreements that set out in detail how each will reduce energy use.

“We've been working on energy sustainability programs for five or six years now as an offering to clients,” says Michael Jordan, JLL's executive vice president for sustainability strategy. He believes “green leases truly are the future of commercial real estate.” Landlords who want to cut energy use naturally begin by examining their buildings' operating systems, but without a detailed understanding with their tenants, any adjustments will probably have a limited impact, he adds.

“I'll never say that green concerns are the drivers of location strategy,” but the increasing popularity of things like recycling, alternative energy and the desire among businesses of all sizes to slice their energy costs means “green concerns are working themselves into the leasing process.”