Lord, the founder of Dallas-based LORD Green Real EstateStrategies, presented an overview called "Elements of Green Leases"that outlined how to go about creating green leases and offeredadvice to building owners on how to get tenants to go along withgreen requirements in leases. Conventional building leases ingeneral do not support green requirements and in fact can bebarriers to sustainability initiatives, Lord pointed out.

"Green leases are standard leases that are modified to removethese barriers," Lord explained. She recommended against trying toalter existing, in-place leases but advised instead that buildingowners should fashion green leases that tenants can sign whenleases roll over.

Lord noted that BOMA has created standard green lease languagethat its members can use as a model. The green lease language ispart of the organization's lease guide, called Guide to Writing aCommercial Real Estate Lease, features step-by-step instructions tohelp building owners and managers write green operations andmanagement practices into their leases.