GRESB Quarterly, Americas: GRESB/RELPI Americas Institutional Investor Forum in NY on May 23; Verdani Partners on financing net zero with green bonds

Well, here we are! Assessment season is well underway, and all of our Assessment participants are busy gathering consumption data, finalizing responses, and uploading 2022 results into the GRESB Portal. It is a big effort and we see everyone working very hard to do their best in the reporting process.

The entire GRESB organization stands ready to help in anyway we can. Our Member Success team ([email protected]) includes a wide and dedicated team of staff waiting to provide answers to your questions, however detailed they may be. In addition, GRESB is also pleased to have a vast network of Partners, many of whom are incredibly experienced in helping organizations of all sizes complete the GRESB Assessment. If you need the help of a Partner, visit our Partner Directory for excellent options, or contact us for any special recommendations we may have based on your situation. Lastly, many of you have direct access to the team based here in the Americas region. Our colleague Reid Morgan ([email protected]) is a great resource for all members in the Americas region for questions that may extend beyond specific Assessment responses.

In short, the entire team at GRESB is here to make your reporting experience as smooth as possible. As a reminder, the Assessment period closes on July 1.

While the work is significant, the payoff is absolutely incredible. We are anticipating another record year for growth in the GRESB Benchmark, signifying a global industry that is pushing ahead at breakneck speed. This is progress! We also expect the Americas region to be among the fastest growing geographic regions within the global GRESB Benchmark in 2023, which brings our GRESB Americas-based team a significant amount of pride which we share with all of you.

Good luck with the remainder of this Assessment period! We are here to help whenever we can.

Tom Idzal
GRESB Head of Americas

Focusing on commercial real estate (CRE) decarbonization initiatives, GRESB Global Partner Verdani Partners explores the current green bond landscape and its potential to help finance the net-zero transition. It also discusses the implications of new climate policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and challenges green financing must overcome to maximize positive environmental impact.

Key Takeaways:

• Green bonds have become increasingly attractive for both issuers (i.e., companies) seeking financing for environmental projects and investors seeking to align portfolios with ESG goals.
• There are three major green bond reporting frameworks or standards: the Green Bond Principles, the Climate Bonds Standard, and the newly agreed upon European Green Bond Standard (currently in development).
• Commercial real estate companies are well suited to identify climate-focused projects for green bond issuance because many are already centering decarbonization and climate risk management across operations and long-term strategy.
• The unprecedented level of climate funding offered by the Inflation Reduction Act has the potential to shift demand for climate-focused green bonds.
• Greenwashing and additionality are two key challenges facing the green bond market.

Read the full article here.

Join us on May 22-23 in New York City for our inaugural GRESB Americas Institutional Investor Forum in partnership with RELPI.

Focused on best practices in sustainability, the conference will discuss accelerating industry change and feature more than 25 of the largest institutional investors and their consultants, including APG, PSP Investments, and Alliance Global Advisors.

NEW to the program: Industry luminary Jonathan Rose, President of Jonathan Rose Companies, will be speaking at the forum. Mr. Rose is a leader in the integration of business, public policy, and nonprofit work, to create more environmentally, socially, and economically resilient communities.

In addition to the LP Forum on May 23, we have arranged two additional programs taking place on May 22:

Workshop: ESG Foundations in Real Estate

Fulya Kocak, the creator of NAREIT’s industry-leading ESG Jumpstart Program applicable to real estate professionals and executives of all levels, will be offering a two-hour workshop covering key ESG principles applicable to institutional real estate investments.

When: Monday, May 22, 1:00-3:00pm EDT
Where: Chelsea Market (via Elevators 6 & 7), 9th Ave + 16th Street, New York, NY

Register here.

GRESB Town Hall with Roxana Isaiu, GRESB Chief Product Officer

Join Dan Winters, GRESB Senior Director, for a 1:1 conversation with Roxana Isaiu, GRESB Chief Product Officer, where they will discuss the GRESB strategic roadmap, CRREM pathways, peer group advances, and other topics on the mind of GRESB Members.

When: Monday, May 22, 3:30-5:00pm EDT
Where: Chelsea Market (via Elevators 6 & 7), 9th Ave + 16th Street, New York, NY

All attendees of the prior ESG Foundations Workshop and the upcoming RELPI<>GRESB Forum are welcome, along with current GRESB Members.

Non-GRESB Members wishing to attend the GRESB Town Hall should contact Dan Winters ([email protected]) as attendance is subject to capacity.

• ULI Spring Meeting | ULI
  May 16-18, 2023 | Toronto
• ESG: Shaping the Future of Colombia’s Business Landscape | The Business Year 
  May 19, 2023 | Bogotá, Colombia
• Denver ESG Meet-up | GRESB & Echelon Energy
  May 31 | Denver, CO
• Women in Private Markets Summit: North America 2023 | PEI
  June 20-21 | New York, NY
• BOMA 2023 International Conference & Expo | BOMA
  June 24-27 | Kansas City, MO
• REITworks: 2023 Real Estate ESG Conference | Nareit 
  June 28-29, 2023 | Las Vegas, NV
• IMN ESG Decarbonizing Real Estate Forum | IMN
  July 18-19 | Dana Point, CA

See full event calendar.