ULI carries takes on foundation mission
In 2009, Ronald P. Weidner formed the Greenprint Foundation — a worldwide alliance of real estate owners, investors, financial institutions, and others who voluntarily exchange information on building performance, with a goal of reducing the real estate industry’s energy consumption and carbon emissions. This January, the foundation transferred its activities and assets to the Urban Land Institute, which will continue Greenprint’s mission through the newly established ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance.
The goal of the center is the same as that of the New York-based foundation: cutting building emissions 50 percent by 2030. Buildings account for one-third of the world’s energy consumption, according to ULI. Through the Greenprint program, real estate professionals share information and measure the performance of individuals buildings and portfolios.
The principal product of the foundation has been the Greenprint Performance Report, which includes the Greenprint Carbon Index, a tool that members use to gauge progress. The 2011 report presented results for 1,623 properties with a total of 31 million square meters of commercial space in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It showed a 0.6 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the previous year, based on a like-for-like portfolio of submitted properties. Charles B. Leitner III, who headed the foundation and will chair the center, said the center will promote innovative technologies and best operating practices, helping the industry become part of the solution to climate change.
