Sustainability investments in physical assets are increasingly being influenced by more than finance, facilities and RE managers. The recognition that a sustainably-designed and healthy workplace directly impacts attitude, satisfaction level and productivity, has led to human capital management and sustainability functions becoming integral and influential in the decision-making process.
Combating climate change requires our economy to make a comprehensive transition to clean energy, where rooftop solar is part of the solution. The buildings all around us consume so much power and generate so much carbon. But the rooftops of those buildings have high technical potential to generate solar power right at the point where it is consumed.
Improvements in building efficiency provide cost savings to landlords and tenants. Impactful initiatives include installation of more efficient LED lighting; upgrades to HVAC; smart metering; reductions in water consumption; and waste management. Also sustainably-managed structures typically command higher rents, and experience lower vacancy and higher tenant satisfaction.
Our shared mythologies tell us home is sweet and home is where the heart is. But access to good housing is increasingly difficult for many. The US housing crisis is tied to our economy and our environment. Solutions lay in both our perception of equity around shelter and in where and how we choose to build.
Consumer demand for healthier products continues to grow. With concerns ranging from the cost of healthcare to the effects of food and agriculture on climate change, consumers of all ages are opting for natural, organic and functional foods and beverages, nutritional supplements, natural medicines and other eco-friendly products from mission-based companies that share their values and address their concerns.
The idea of “nose-to-tail” dining, shorthand for using as much of an animal as possible, has no field-grown counterpart. What about the grains that make up so much of our agricultural production and diet? Where is our “seed to stalk?” In Maine, the craft beer industry is making sure that grain is valued from field to glass to trough.
As Americans become more aware of the environmental and health benefits of organics, we are presented with an increasing number of opportunities to align our investments with our lifestyle choices – by investing in the companies and agricultural operations that are driving organic innovation and bringing natural products to the marketplace.
The 2028 Olympics in LA will occur as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development approaches. What might a train ride to Perris, CA look like through a lens of sustainable urban agriculture? Will passing neighborhoods display small-lot gardens, homes with grey water and rain catchment systems? Will large open spaces be organized into working landscapes, blooming with ecosystem benefits?
ESG investing has garnered more and more acceptance and enthusiasm in the market as investors tackle some of the most urgent environmental and social issues of our time, from climate change to social inequalities. I have long been passionate about women’s advancement and inclusion in the workplace.
When I began working to make boards more gender diverse in 2001, the percentage of women on the boards of large companies in the United States was around 12 percent. By 2011, women had gained a few more seats at the table, and by 2016 women held 21 percent of board seats at Fortune 500 companies.
