NEW ORLEANS–”Going green,” can bring in the green, as sustainable design and recycling programs can increase sales, cut costs and even improve property values, speakers said at the International Council of Shopping Centers fall conference, which concluded here yesterday. The trend toward incorporating sustainability initiatives is expanding exponentially, as retailers and developers learn that environmental benefits also can lead to financial gains.

“Global warming is not just heating up the atmosphere, it's heating up the economy,” said panel moderator Ian Thomas, chairman of Vancouver, BC-based Thomas Consultants. “Our children and our society demand it.”

The danger is real and increasing, as the polar ice caps – the “giant HVAC system for the earth” – continue to shrink, said Jeff A. Grossberg, principal of Chicago-based SkySite Property. Yet adding “green” elements to a center need not be prohibitively expensive, Thomas noted. The price premium on sustainable design is just 2%, not the 20% many originally envisioned.