Month: January 2015

John Forester, director of energy and sustainability at REIT Management & Research LLC, joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.

REIT Management & Research is a private company that manages publicly traded REITs. Forester noted that the company has sought to improve the process of collecting and aggregating data across its asset base by investing in a new platform that allows for the collection of information “other than what is typically shown on an invoice.”

Joshua Kagan, senior fellow with the Carbon War Room and director of business development at the Clean Fund, joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.

The Carbon War Room is an entrepreneurial non-profit organization intended to use market forces to tackle climate change. The Clean Fund, meanwhile, provides financing that allows energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy projects to be repaid through a voluntary property assessment.

Nils Kok, founder and executive director of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB), joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.

GRESB is an industry-driven organization that assesses the sustainability performance of real estate portfolios around the globe. Kok noted that during the past 18 months, he has observed an increasing interest in “green bonds” from fixed-income investors. The proceeds from these bonds are used to finance sustainability initiatives.

Sukanya Paciorek, senior vice president of corporate sustainability at Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO), joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.

Vornado, which was a 2014 Leader in the Light award winner, focuses on the New York and Washington, D.C., office markets, as well as New York street retail.

Aaron Binkley, director of sustainability at Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.

Digital Realty owns more than 130 data center locations globally.

In the interview, Binkley addressed the unique sustainability challenges facing the data center sector.

David Stanford, founder and executive managing director of professional services firm RealFoundations, joined REIT.com for a video interview at NAREIT’s 2015 Leader in the Light Working Forum in Reston, Va.

RealFoundations is a Dallas-based management consultancy firm that specializes in the commercial real estate sector.

Stanford discussed the changes he has seen in the development of sustainability during the last few years.