John Salustri, national online editor of GlobeSt.com, addressedthese issues on GlobeSt.com's hour-long Business of Green webinar,held on Monday, March 24 at 12:30 p.m. More than 500 webcastattendees joined panelists, which included Larry Heard, president& CEO of Transwestern; Victoria Kahn, managing director at INGClarion; Jim Lutz, SVP of development at Liberty Property Trust;Brenna Walraven, president of BOMA International & executivemanaging director of National Property Management, USAA; and DanYoung-Dixon, director of design at Opus Architects & EngineersInc.

The webinar began with the discussion of whether or not one canbalance both the need for sustainability and the need to driveprofit, which at the same time improves performance. "If we becomemore efficient in how we operate our business, it will increasereturns on the bottom line," Walraven began. She further explainedthat tenants will stay longer at green buildings.

Walraven noted the importance of being competitive in today'smarket. "What happens when most of the market is moving to green?What happens when you can't compete?" she queried.

The cost to go green is becoming less and less, panelistsconcurred. Young-Dixon said that sustainability is becoming bestpractice, and pointed out that cost for sustainability is becomingless. He explained that "sustainability has bourn down on ourindustry like a tsunami." There seems to be a much greater interestfrom both buyers and sellers, he said, adding that beingcompetitive has in the marketplace has impacted the way OpusArchitects & Engineers' designs buildings. "We have redesignedour systems to incorporate sustainability into our standards."