Older Buildings Going Green

"Commercial buildings account for more than 60 percent of the nation's electricity consumption, according to government estimates, and generate 30 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions."

"Yet these buildings represent a small fraction of the nation's estimated 4.5 million commercial properties, many of which were erected decades ago before sustainable, or green, designs became de rigueur. This vast stock of older buildings presents a much bigger opportunity to cut down on energy consumption and carbon emissions that contribute to the warming of the planet."

"The real estate industry has recently begun to turn its attention to 'greening' existing buildings. The United States Green Building Council - whose Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, or LEED, program has become the de facto standard for sustainable building - has guidelines that address older buildings. Called LEED for Existing Buildings, or LEED-EB, the three-year-old program provides a laundry list of steps that building owners and managers can take to operate and manage their properties more efficiently."