California’s drive toward a net-zero carbon economy by 2045 is sparking innovative solutions to harmonize environmental conservation with infrastructure development. Assembly Bill (AB) 550, sponsored by Assembly Member...more
The office market was thrown into turmoil in the post-pandemic shift towards flexible working. Businesses battled with uncertainty over the future of the workplace and whether big glossy office spaces would become obsolete in...more
Last week, the Boston Zoning Commission adopted Net Zero Carbon (NZC) zoning. As addressed in our 2021 and 2023 advisories, this completes a three-part decarbonization strategy, along with the Specialized Energy Code and the...more
The UK government has launched a consultation to reform the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPB) regime, a crucial step towards achieving the nation’s ambitious net-zero targets by 2050. This extensive consultation, which...more
In this Insight, first published in PLC, Freya Scott discusses the RICS Sustainability Report 2023, considers some of the barriers to achieving the carbon net zero goal by 2050 and what can be done to overcome these. ...more
On June 26, 2023, the Cambridge City Council voted to amend the city’s Building Energy Use Disclosure Ordinance (BEUDO) to require large non-residential buildings to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and...more
The City of Boston is advancing three companion regulatory efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for medium-sized and large buildings. As addressed in our 2021 advisory, the Boston Emissions Reduction and Disclosure...more
In order to obtain and maintain a green real estate loan, the loan recipient must construct or renovate existing buildings to have minimal impact on the environment. The ultimate goal for green architecture is to achieve a...more
Against the ambitious backdrop set by the Paris Climate Agreement to reach net-0 by 2050, there is a clear drive by corporations to move forward on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) or sustainability...more
Holland & Knight Partner Jennifer L. Hernandez, leader of the firm's West Coast Land Use and Environmental Group, recently authored an industry report for the Center for Jobs & The Economy, whose mission is to identify and...more
Montgomery County, Maryland, signed Bill 16-21 into law on May 2, 2022, as an amendment to the County's Building Energy Use Benchmarking Law (Benchmarking Law), Article 6 of Chapter 18A of the Montgomery County Code. Bill...more
In 2019, New York City adopted the Climate Mobilization Act, which established carbon emissions caps for buildings larger than 25,000 square feet. More recently, New York became the largest U.S. city to enact a fossil fuel...more
The delegated regulation includes a new comprehensive and unified reporting methodology to direct investments toward environmentally sustainable economic activities....more
Planning legislation has been framed over many years to grapple with climate change and there is no doubt that there is real impetus at all levels of development to ensure that climate targets are met. In this blog we discuss...more
Furthering the aims of Boston’s 2019 Climate Action Plan, which identified large buildings as major carbon emitters, Boston City Council amended the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) to require all...more
The strategy sets out plans to reduce emissions from key sectors of the UK economy to ensure that the UK remains on track for net zero by 2050. On 19 October 2021, the UK government published its climate change strategy,...more
Signed into law by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on May 20, 2021, and taking immediate effect as an "urgency statute," Senate Bill (SB) 7 revives and expands the previously enacted Environmental Leadership Development Project...more
In this, the second bulletin in our series, we take a look at Pillar Two of the "Planning for the Future" White Paper – planning for beautiful and sustainable places. In this Pillar, the government sets out its vision for...more
The Court of Appeal returned a ruling on 27 February 2020 that the UK government's policy statement which included the government's approval of the Heathrow expansion was unlawful because it did not consider the impact of the...more
The issue of climate change couldn’t be more topical. But what is “net zero carbon”? Is it just another buzzword and what does it really mean? The UK Green Building Council has this week published its Framework Definition on...more
Developers and landlords faced the first generation of “green building” initiatives with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and EPA’s Energy Star programs. Now, the states are ready to embark...more
The Newhall Ranch project in Los Angeles County was highlighted for its proactive and innovative strategy to reduce carbon emissions. A strategy to gain approvals for the development of the Newhall Ranch community in Los...more
Sustainable Development Focus - Trump wants to cut programs that help buildings save energy. This new study says they work. Washington Post - Mar 27 New research suggests that programs for improving energy...more
Sustainable Development Focus - Planned investment in energy efficiency hits all-time high - Facility Executive - Jun 23 - Interest and investment in energy efficiency are at an all-time high, according to the...more