CBRE and Maastricht University 2015 edition of an index measuring the adoption of the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program and the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standard.
"For the second year in a row, the Twin Cities topped CBRE's Green Building Adoption Index with more than 70 percent of all commercial office space holding a certification from either the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program or the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standard," reports Kristen Leigh Painter.
Painter provides additional details about the study, and also points out the importance of green building certifications for attracting top companies. The Twin Cities, for instance, are home to 18 Fortune 500 companies.
Nancy Sarnoff also picked up on the findings of the report, focusing on the performance of Houston, which appears at number five on the ranking. San Francisco (#2), Chicago (#3), and Atlanta (#4) round out the top five.
The CBRE website provides additional details about the report, which is available in full online [pdf].
Read the full story: Minneapolis-St. Paul top Green Building Adoption Index for second straight year
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