Cutting energy consumption isn’t just good for the planet; it can help reduce operating expenses and make our buildings more valuable over time.

ULI’s Center for Sustainability and Economic Performance has long been on the forefront of innovative thinking and research on best practices to improve energy efficiency in our homes and offices. Through measurement, benchmarking, knowledge sharing, and collaboration, the ULI Greenprint Center for Building Performance strives to prove the business case for sustainability and help the real estate industry reduce its environmental footprint.

The successful integration of environmental, social, governance, and sustainability practices into decision making and operations will ensure real estate owners, investors, and developers—everyone in the real estate value chain—thoroughly understands the business case for green buildings, knows what to do on the “blueprint for green real estate,” and takes action to implement and achieve those practices. Generous support from the ULI Foundation allows Greenprint to expand its impact in these and related areas.

Our successes include:

• Partnering with Greenprint members (41 companies, 10,000+ global buildings) to reduce year-over-year greenhouse gas emissions by 30% since 2009 – and saving these buildings more than $32 million each year in operating expenses.

• Training of hundreds of building owners and tenants on the Tenant Energy Optimization Program (TEOP), a ten-step process for sustainable tenant fit-outs that can reduce the average tenant’s energy use by 50%, with a payback of under three years.

• Developing tools to achieve net zero carbon, including a toolkit for embedding sustainability in real estate transactions, a guide to achieving net zero over time for real estate portfolios, and case studies on net-zero commercial and multifamily buildings. 

• Helping more than a dozen cities develop their building energy efficiency and climate mitigation plans, and with our 10 Principles of Building Decarbonization guide, disseminating research to assist other cities in developing their own climate action plans.

The ULI Foundation strengthens ULI’s commitment to the cities of the world. With increased investments in the Foundation, ULI can provide the training, tools, and policy solutions needed to advance sustainable building strategies, identify long-term market opportunities and risks, and cost-effectively move toward a more sustainable real estate industry.

Join us in supporting ULI’s impact today.