The ULI Blueprint for Green Real Estate

Report Summary: Real estate organizations recognize the strong business case for incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors into their day-to-day business operations with new policies affecting building energy performance, strong returns from cost savings on utilities savings, rising tenant demand, and pressure from investors. However, developing a real estate sustainability program from the ground up is no simple task; it takes thoughtful and thorough work across technical, financial, and market-facing elements to achieve success.

Building on the leading sustainability work that ULI Greenprint member organizations have been implementing since 2009, the ULI Blueprint for Green Real Estate report helps real estate owners and investors create or accelerate a sustainability program, and developers looking for ways to integrate sustainability into their overall development strategy. The resource is focused on real estate addressing environmental areas—energy, water, waste, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—while acknowledging that the role of a real estate sustainability program is much broader than it once was, now encompassing topics like resilience, health and wellness, and social equity.