NAREIT NAMES 2016 LEADER IN THE LIGHT AWARD WINNERS
Awards Recognize NAREIT Member REITs for Achievement in Sustainability
PHOENIX, AZ, Nov. 16 — The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) today recognized the REIT industry’s leading companies in the area of sustainability over the past 12 months – the winners of its annual Leader in the Light Awards.
The Leader in the Light Awards are presented to NAREIT member REITs that have implemented sustainability programs that have produced significant, measurable results. This year’s awards were presented to REITs in eight property sectors: Diversified; Health Care; Industrial; Lodging/Resorts; Office; Residential; Retail; and Data Centers. In this year’s competition, two companies were recognized in the Health Care sector.
This year’s award winners are:
- Diversified: Vornado Realty Trust
- Health Care: HCP, Inc. and Welltower
- Industrial: Prologis
- Lodging/Resorts: Hersha Hospitality Trust
- Office: Kilroy Realty Corporation
- Residential: Equity Residential
- Retail: The Macerich Company
- Data Centers: Equinix
“Sustainability is an issue of growing importance in the real estate industry, and it is an area in which REITs have made great strides,” said NAREIT President and CEO Steven A. Wechsler. “It’s well recognized in the REIT industry today that sustainability is good business, both from the point of view of cost savings and attracting and retaining tenants.”
NAREIT has been presenting the Leader in the Light awards since 2005. In 2012, the organization modified its judging criteria to include the results of the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Annual Survey. GRESB’s Annual Survey measures the environmental performance of property portfolios around the world, and it is a closely watched benchmark among many of the world’s largest institutional investors.
“Sustainable business practices are important to a growing number of investors,” said Sheldon Groner, NAREIT’s Executive Vice President for Finance and Operations, who administers the Leader in the Light Awards program. “In fact, for many international investors, measurable achievement in sustainability is a precondition for making an investment in a company.”
This year’s Leader in the Light Awards submissions were evaluated by an interdisciplinary panel of judges including Matthew Kozlowski, Green Building Program Manager, Cornell University; Jean Lupinacci, Chief, Energy Star, U.S EPA; Gary Pivo, Professor of Urban Planning, University of Arizona; David Pogue, Global Director of Corporate Responsibility, CBRE Global Investors; Maria Vargas, Director, U.S. Department of Energy, Better Buildings Challenge.
The Leader in the Light Awards were presented at REITWorld 2016, NAREIT’s Annual Convention for All Things REIT held Nov. 15 -17 in Phoenix.