| WASHINGTON
DC – The National Association of Realtors®
office building on Capitol Hill was the first newly
constructed, green certified building in the District
of Columbia, demonstrating NAR’s commitment to
environmentally sustainable real estate development.
In testifying today before a House Transportation and
Infrastructure Subcommittee, NAR reiterated the significance
of its green building and reinforced its support for
energy efficiency tax credits, block grants and weatherization
assistance investment.
“NAR has taken a number of important steps to
raise public awareness about green buildings and their
benefits in the marketplace,” said Jim Helsel,
NAR treasurer and a Realtor® from Pennsylvania specializing
in commercial real estate. Helsel served as chairman
of NAR’s Real Property Operations Committee in
2002-03 that oversaw creation and development of the
Realtor® building that was certified for Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design and was awarded the
Silver LEED rating by the U.S. Green Building Council
in 2004 when the building opened.
He noted examples of NAR “green” support
and commitment, including developing a Green designation
program to offer advanced training and certification
for real estate professionals; undertaking of pilot
programs to “green” local MLSs; and partnering
with federal agencies and other organizations to promote
green building.
“Realtors® ‘leed’ by example,”
Helsel said, using a play on words to emphasize the
building’s LEED certification. “NAR cleaned
and developed an abandoned contaminated site as the
home of its D.C. headquarters. Fifty percent of the
building’s energy comes from renewable resources,
and 30 percent less water is used compared to other
buildings of similar size,” said Helsel.
NAR research shows there is a considerable and growing
market for green buildings, and that voluntary incentive-based
approaches will do more to spur demand for energy efficiency
than government mandates.
“We have seen more and more survey results showing
a trend towards increased interest in energy efficient
features,” Helsel said. “The green building
market is already responding to consumer demand. Builders
are providing products that the consumer wants. And
this is happening without significant involvement from
the public sector.” NAR believes that as more
green buildings are constructed they will demonstrate
their financial viability.
“The federal government plays an important role
in the green effort, providing public research, as well
as capital and economic incentives. It is NAR’s
belief that the government should continue to have a
limited role offering incentives and grants to encourage
the movement toward energy efficiency. However, we do
believe it is important that the government’s
role continue to be incentive-based only versus mandated
and overly regulated processes,” said Helsel.
“Just as NAR demonstrated by building the first
ever Silver LEED rated building in the D.C. area, we
are ready to continue our example and to educate our
members and consumers on the need to make environmentally
friendly and energy efficient building and buying decisions.
We stand ready to work with Congress and the administration
in this effort,” said Helsel.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The
Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest
trade association, representing more than 1.2 million
members involved in all aspects of the residential and
commercial real estate industries.
Source: National Association
of Realtors®, July 16, 2009
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