Bill Clinton Pushes LEED On Shopping Center Industry

"Clinton, 59, was the keynote speaker at the International Council of Shopping Centers' spring convention, which runs through Wednesday in Las Vegas and is expected to draw 42,000 people. Addressing a crowd of 6,000 at the Hilton, he challenged the shopping-center industry to take a lead in constructing environmentally efficient centers that rely on renewable energy sources.

Clinton said the expansion of renewable energy sources will reduce the country's reliance on foreign energy sources while simultaneously creating jobs and driving economic growth.

'This is a bird's nest on the ground,' Clinton said, using a folksy phrase meaning something that requires little effort. 'It's the easiest thing we can do.'

He encouraged shopping-center developers to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification for new centers -- a suggestion the audience greeted with enthusiastic applause."