Looking both to commercial property managers and office tenants to demonstrate leadership in environmental performance, the City of Houston will focus on promoting and administering the Houston Green Office Challenge, a competition first launched in 2011, that acknowledges property tenants for their achievements in greening their operations through Mayoral and media recognition. The Houston Green Office Challenge also is driven by the Green Per Square Foot online platform.

Locally, the combined challenges will be known as the Houston Green Office Challenge+IREM Sustainable Property Challenge and will call for completion of activities drawn from seven main categories: education and outreach; energy; water conservation; materials and waste; interiors, exteriors and purchasing; transportation, and stakeholder engagement. Completing activities earns points, and points move participants up a leader board, with top performers rewarded with prizes and public recognition.

Under the new agreement, more developments might aim to look like The Treehouse at Memorial City, a 250-acre upscale mixed-use property. Using state-of-the-art green technology married to collaborative design elements, the result is an unusual, one-of-a-kind office and meeting space. The building, which opened in July, houses Memorial City's development activities, and effectively brings outdoor elements indoors.