Testimony before House Subcommittee on Green Buildings

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Testimony before House Subcommittee on Green Buildings, House Committee, Financial Services Committee, the Committee, House Subcommittee, Written Testimony, Appropriations Subcommittee, Mr. Chairman, Assistant Secretary, higher education

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posted:: 8/19/2009
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The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade
association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and
commercial real estate industries.

Oral Testimony Prepared for
Jim Helsel, 2009 NAR Treasurer
Before the House Subcommittee on Economic Development and Public Buildings of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
July 16, 2009
Washington, DC

Introduction
Chairman Norton, Ranking Member Diaz-Balart, and members of the
Subcommittee on Economic Development and Public Buildings of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify
on the multiple benefits of Green buildings.

My name is Jim Helsel, and I am the 2009 National Association of REALTORS
Treasurer. I have been a REALTOR specializing in the commercial sector for
more than 34 years. Currently, I am a Partner with RSR REALTORS, a full-service
real estate company in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

I testify today on behalf of 1.2 million REALTORS who are involved in all aspects
of the real estate industry.

In 2002 and 2003, I served as Chairman of NAR’s Real Property Operations
Committee. I oversaw the development and creation of NAR’s Washington, DC
headquarters, which also became the first privately-owned, newly constructed
LEED Silver certified building in the Nation’s capital.

NAR is uniquely qualified and honored to offer our testimony on the importance
of Green buildings.

Copyright National Association of REALTORS®. Reprinted with permission.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade
association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and
commercial real estate industries.

NAR’s Additional Green Efforts
In addition to certifying a green building, NAR has taken a number of other
important steps to raise public awareness about the benefits of green buildings in
the marketplace. For example, NAR has:

Established a GREEN Designation program to offer advanced training and
certification for real estate professionals.

• Advanced important green building issues, including the “greening” of
local Multiple Listings Services. By including data fields in the MLS with
information about real property’s green attributes we are responding to
consumer demand for more information about building efficiency.

Partnered with Federal agencies to promote green buildings. NAR and the
Department of Energy worked together on a joint “Energy Savers”
brochure to provide consumers with the facts about reducing energy use
and saving money.

We support the subcommittee’s efforts to lead by example with green
investments in public buildings. These investments will help demonstrate new
technologies and learning that results in lower cost options in the long run.

NAR believes voluntary, incentive-based approaches, such as tax credits will
better spur consumer demand for energy efficiency.
Moreover, there is also a need for information and education, and we look
forward to working with the committee to build on these approaches in the future.

The LEED Process
NAR’s headquarters was the first newly constructed green certified building in
the District of Columbia. Located blocks from the U.S. Capitol, the building was
first occupied in October 2004, and was awarded a Silver LEED rating by the U.S.
Green Building Council.

NAR believes the best way to promote change in our society is to lead by
example. The NAR building is our effort to do just that. As chairman of the
committee responsible for development of the building, I knew we had a unique
opportunity to demonstrate REALTORS belief in green principles. For that
reason, in our first visioning step in creating our new building, we set a goal to
become LEED certified.

To achieve LEED certification a building must meet certain prerequisites and
receive a minimum number of points. To accomplish certification the following
steps must be taken:

First is planning. A project team is assembled to evaluate and articulate project
goals and certification level sought. The team includes the owner, architect,
engineer, contractor and property manager.

Second is the registration, which serves as a declaration of intent to certify a
building under LEED.

Third is application and documentation. The team assembles documentation for
the credits it has chosen to pursue, and uploads the materials to LEED Online to
start the application review process.

Fourth is submission. The project administrator formally submits the application
via LEED Online.
Fifth is the application review. For new construction, the preliminary design and
construction and assembled documentation is reviewed for completeness and
compliance with the rating system.

Finally is certification. LEED certified projects receive formal certificate of
recognition.

Achievements of the NAR Building
While the building’s LEED certification is a worthy goal in itself, it is the steps
needed for certification that are having the positive impact on the environment.

We began by cleaning up a Brownfield site with a long history of commercial use.
An abandoned gas station previously occupied the site, and we cleaned the site
of contamination from leaking fuel tanks.

The high-performance glass-wrapped building wisely uses the day light to
significantly reduce energy usage. And fifty percent of the building’s energy
comes from renewable energy sources.

The landscape of the building uses native and adaptive plant species to reduce
irrigation demands. Low-flow faucets, lavatory motion sensors and waterless
urinals have helped achieved a 30 percent water use reduction compared to
buildings of similar size.
4

The building is located near Metro rail stations, and transit bus lines have allowed
us to achieve a high rate of transit usage. 70 percent of building occupants ride
public transportation to work. In addition, showers have been installed to
encourage biking to work.

Rainwater is channeled through well-spaced tiles on the roof and is collected in a
cistern located in the basement; the water is recycled from the cistern to be used
in water plants and cleaning the outside walkways.

Almost all of the materials used are not only environmentally friendly but also of
local origin. Decorative plants on the roof and indoors are also found in the
Washington, D.C., area.

Cleaning crews are required to use chemically safe equipment to maintain the
building. These are just some of the many environmental measures incorporated
into the building, and all are highlighted in the building as part of an education
campaign of its sustainable features.

Recommendations
Just as NAR built a green structure to lead by example, so now NAR’s policy
supports a voluntary, incentive-based approach to energy efficiency.

We believe this will help build momentum in the private sector to adopt green
trends. This provides a “win-win” by allowing for vigorous economic growth
while improving the environment.

The role of the federal government to encourage green development should also
be to lead by example. Through the development of green federal buildings, the
public sector can create best green practices that will transfer to the private
sector.

During this time when the current real estate market is fragile and just beginning
to show signs of a recovery, additional onerous costs in the form of mandates
could hamper our economic recovery, and hurt the spread of green development.

REALTORS believe the Federal government can do more to promote sustainable
development by keeping the market fluid and free of mandates. We encourage
the Federal government to offer incentives such as tax credits.

Conclusion
REALTORS have shown that building green can be both a proactive and
profitable process. Our experience has shown that current programs have been
allowed to thrive, shift and mold to meet specific conservation needs of a
geographic area. The many awards the building has received over its five years
are a testament to the structure’s pioneership in the district to successfully blend
environment sustainability, as well as to raise the bar for aesthetic and
community excellence.

NAR supports a national green building program that is flexible and market-
driven, and encourages continued growth in sustainable construction that
protects options for consumers in all markets, as well as preserves, protects, and
promotes the health of our environment.

NAR stands ready to work with Congress on the best way to implement green
principles that balance needs of the marketplace with those of the environment.
6

We look forward to working closely with subcommittee as legislation is
considered.

Thank you.

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