Green Talk in Aggieland

Jason Westrope recently gave a pair of invited lectures to "Aggies" in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Speaking to graduate students in the Master of Real Estate program and undergraduates in the university's Department of Agricultural Economics, Jason discussed the broad market trend toward more sustainable development practices and the fundamental importance of bottom-line considerations. He provided an overview of green projects around the nation and their documented returns on investment. He also outlined forces propelling interest in green building, including the changing economics of green projects, current and imminent legislation at local, state, and federal levels, financial incentives for energy efficiency, and evolving code standards in many construction markets.

Jason described the USGBC LEED program in particular and how Development Management Associates, LLC and others are advancing highly successful projects by employing this point system for certifying achievement in green building. With academic backgrounds bridging the planning, environmental, economic, and real estate disciplines, many of the students were intrigued by DMA's growing experience with green roof installations on high-end retail and mixed-use projects in Chicago. For more information, email jason@dmassociates.com.

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