What is the first thing you think about when you think of Houston? Let me guess, Oil and Gas. You can’t meet 3 people in Houston without one of them working for an Oil and Gas company. It’s what makes our city such a terrific place for employment and always keeps our economy ahead of the rest.
But I bet one thing you wouldn’t associate with Houston is “Green”. Yes, Houston is considered one of the U.S. leaders in commercial projects. A recent study released this summer showed that more than half of Houston’s green commercial space downtown is considering “green” initiatives. It also ranked Houston in the top 10 nationally for having the highest percentage of green commercial space. According to the study 600% increase in Energy Star for buildings and 1,000% increase in buildings who follow LEED standards.
The study attributed this rise to oil and gas firms in Houston partaking in sustainable practices, the 2004 resolution requiring city-owned buildings larger than 10,00 square feet to pursue LEED standards and the recent move to change all city-wide street lights to LED. According to Mark Taylor, Senior Managing Director of CBRE’s Houston office, “Since Houston is the energy capital of the world, sustainability is paramount to all aspects of our economy. This is evident in the way real estate has been consistently managed on a local level, and we will certainly see this trend continue in the years to come”.
So far Houston holds rankings of number 3 in the nation for LEED certified commercial space and number 4 in the nation for Energy Star.
For the original article and more information visit the Houston Chronicle.
The study mentioned was in accordance to the 2014 Green Building Adoption Index by CBRE Group and Netherlands based Maastricht University.