For those of you with an investment portfolio (what a year, huh?), I'd like to suggest Liberty Property Trust as a potential investment (NYSE: LRY). I work in the Infrastructure and Commercial Real Estate investment space and for those interested in aligning your investment portfolio with your environmental passions, this is a company that is on the leading edge of sustainability in commercial real estate. In 2008, my industry saw a break-out year in green real estate investment and I anticipate more money flowing into the space going forward. Although only 21 of 700 of Liberty's properties are LEED certified, that is a considerable amount for a commercial real estate entity and is far more than most companies I interview; most of whom's management teams aren't committed to green real estate as a movement.
REIT's have faced considerable pressure this year considering the global credit crisis and shortage of debt available for refinancing properties, however, I believe a long-term 5% allocation of your investment portfolio to a group like Liberty Property Trust is a positive step towards a greener future. If you're concious about where you investment money is going, consider companies like Liberty which align investment with sustainability.
Below is a mission statement from the company, I've interviewed this group and can attest that their management is focused on sustainability as a business model:
Liberty is the nation's leading developer of high-performance green office and industrial buildings. For 35 years, Liberty has provided our tenants with cutting-edge real estate solutions that are comfortable, efficient and inspiring. Today we continue that promise with over 6 million square feet of LEED™ registered green space completed or under construction nationwide. We develop green office, industrial and warehouse facilities, retrofit existing buildings and even clean our properties in an environmentally sensitive way. We believe that high-performance green buildings are not only good for the planet, they also create economic value for our tenants, shareholders and employees.
Liberty currently has 36 LEED projects completed or under construction nationwide, more than any other commercial developer in the U.S. In recognition of our commitment to sustainable design, Liberty was awarded the
U.S. Green Building Council’s [1] 2006 National LEED Award for Corporate Leadership, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties [2] 2007 Green Development Award and CoreNet Global's [3] 2008 Sustainability Leadership Award for Design & Development and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties [2] 2008 Developer of the Year Award.For more reading check out http://www.zeroenergycbi.org/ [4]
Links:
[1] http://www.usgbc.org/
[2] http://www.naiop.org/
[3] http://www2.corenetglobal.org/home/index.vsp
[4] http://www.zeroenergycbi.org/