The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) announced the launch of Creating & Capturing the Value of Real Estate Sustainability in NYC, an energy efficiency and sustainability continuing education program for New York real estate agents and salespersons.
The program is being run in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative.
Starting in May, the day long continuing education course will be held at REBNY’s headquarters in Midtown.
The course, which will be taught by trained instructors from the Institute for Market Transformation as well as other industry experts, will help licensed agents and salespersons represent their clients and customers more effectively, as well as use their unique position to help building owners and tenants use their spaces more efficiently and reduce energy consumption.
NY Green Bank, a New York State-sponsored, specialized financial entity working with the private sector to increase investments into New York’s clean energy markets, will also participate.
The course will complement state and citywide sustainability initiatives, helping New York State achieve Governor Cuomo’s nation-leading goal of a 100 percent carbon neutral economy by 2040 and Mayor de Blasio’s OneNYC goal of reducing citywide greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
The course will explain how once-niche green concepts are evolving into high-performance standards across office, retail, and industrial segments, and what real estate professionals can do to take advantage of long- and short-term sustainability trends and best practices.
“This course and programs like it are critical to meeting the New York’s ambitious climate goals,” said John H. Banks, President of the Real Estate Board of New York. “Members of The Real Estate Board of New York are leaders in New York’s environmental efforts and we are proud to help educate our agents and ultimately their customers how to achieve a more environmentally friendly New York.”
“Tenants are demanding more efficient buildings that save money and emit less pollution in their city,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability. “This initiative equips brokers with information on energy efficiency, helping them better serve New Yorkers while advancing ambitious citywide climate goals.”
“REBNY’s new education program is yet another example of how the real estate industry is committed to helping New York City achieve its climate goals,” said Jonathan Flaherty, Co-Chair of REBNY’s Sustainability Committee and Senior Director, Sustainability and Utilities at Tishman Speyer.
“Tishman Speyer knows that sustainability is critical to our success and we’re pleased that REBNY is launching this new program at such a critical time.”
