Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart!

Retail Real Estate!?

So, what does this title have to do with "retail real estate" which is the supposed topic of my blog? Read on!

"Earth! Fire! Wind! Water! Heart!" refers to the powers bestowed by Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, on five young people, which when combined summon the world's greatest champion, Captain Planet, of the ground breaking '90's animated TV series (which I played a role in promoting around the world during my Turner Broadcasting career).

The other day via Facebook I read a post by my former Turner colleague and still current friend, Barbara Pyle, who produced the series. Barbara was promoting a "San Francisco Green Drinks" event at the popular 111 Minna Gallery so I decided to pop by hoping to find her there. She wasn't. But there were well over 100 people attending this first Tuesday of every month "green networking" get together. I was impressed by just how many of those with whom I chatted had been influenced by the Captain Planet series.

Now to the connection between all of the above and retail real estate. In the commercial real estate industry there is an increasing trend for building owners to retrofit buildings to make them more energy efficient (Urban Solutions, a local non-profit, I have been involved with for several years has a program to help small business owners "green" their premises which you can find more about by clicking here ; developers are developing new projects with in mind implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions; and tenants, when making decisions as to where they want to locate, more an more pay attention to environmental impact and efficiency issues.

The US Green Building Council, which developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) system has even created a LEED standard for retail . So congratulations Captain Planet and Barbara for your contributions in making the world a healthier place to live. And for all you Planeteers - take note that a Captain Planet feature film is in the works. Show your support! Drop a line to Turner Broadcasting System - and remember "the power is YOURS!"

In closing, let me leave you with this!