For years the environmental and social equity movements have tried to make inroads into the real estate investment community. While not wanting to minimize either the sincerity of these efforts or the significance of the successes made to date, progress has been somewhat limited. A number of factors have contributed to this situation, not the least of which are timing, public and private attitudes and, too frequently, a failure to understand the overwhelming importance of profitability as a factor in the decision making of real estate executives and investors.

Recently, there has been a fundamental shift in the public’s attitude — and in the real estate and investment communities — about the importance and desirability of pursuing environmentally sound business practices. Nowhere has this shift in attitude been more profound than in the United States.

One needs to look no further than the amazing popularity of Al Gore and his film An Inconvenient Truth f