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March 19, 2009
Fixed Income Investments Support Green Building
by Robert Kropp
The New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority and Community Capital Management describe how fixed
income investment help fund successful rehabilitation of buildings based on green building
principles.
SocialFunds.com --
Green building initiatives have emerged as significant opportunities for realizing energy
efficiencies on a national scale, both in new construction and the rehabilitation of existing
buildings. Many federal and state programs now exist for supporting green building initiatives on
the neighborhood level. In many cases, funding for these programs is achieved by a combination of
government grants and taxable municipal bonds and other instruments that provide fixed rates of
returns for investors.
 According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
buildings account for 39% of total energy consumption, 38% of carbon emissions, 30% of raw
materials waste in landfills, and 12% of potable water consumption. Adoption of green building
practices can improve energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption costs, and provide safe and
healthy living environments. Because sprawl development, low-density housing, and commercial uses
located in automobile-dependent outlying areas can harm the natural environment in a number of
ways, many programs focus on the rehabilitation of urban areas.
A recent webcast on the
subject of fixed-income investing in green building initiatives, entitled "Green Approaches to
Fixed Income Investing," was hosted by the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.
The forum was moderated by David Wood, who directs applied research and other activity for the Institute for
Responsible Investment (IRI), a project of the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
that provides a platform for dialogue on fundamental theories and practices underlying responsible
investment and corporate citizenship.
"Mission-driven investors are especially interested
in how investments can integrate social and environmental issues in a triple bottom line approach,"
Wood said. Triple bottom line accounting expands traditional corporate reporting frameworks to
account for ecological and governance issues as well as financial performance.
Michael
Furze is the Green Initiative Specialist for the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA). Since its
creation by the state legislature in 1975, the MFA has provided $3.9 billion in affordable housing
finance options and related services for low- to moderate-income New Mexicans.
Referring
to the EPA statistics on energy consumption by buildings, Furze said, "Some of the largest carbon
dioxide emitters often hide in plain sight. Our commercial, industrial, and residential buildings
consume national resources because you can simply flip the light switch and have power in your
home."
Furze referred to a number of green building initiatives undertaken by the MFA in
New Mexico that incorporate benchmarks for the design, construction and operation of high
performance green buildings provided by Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) and recommendations for energy efficiency from Energy Star, an EPA program.
The initiatives use a
relative energy use index called the Home Energy Rater System (HERS) established by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) to
identify the energy efficiency improvements needed to ensure the house will meet Energy Star
performance guidelines. RESNET is a national standards making body for building energy efficiency
rating systems.
"The main idea behind MFA is to create sustainable communities," said
Furze. Financing for the initiatives come from mortgage and rehabilitation programs requiring HERS
ratings. In addition to a $9 million federal program to which the MFA has access, the mortgage and
rehabilitation programs are funded by fixed income investment.
Barbara VanScoy, Executive
Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager for Community Capital Management (CCM), sought to provide a
framework for sustainable investors who are considering a fixed income investment strategy as part
of their mission. CCM is a Florida-based investment advisor that provides fixed income management
and client services to institutional investors.
"CCM proactively seeks undervalued, high
credit quality fixed income investments financing environmental sustainability and community
development that do not sacrifice returns by taking additional credit risks," said VanScoy. Fixed
income investments are typically bonds that pay a fixed rate of return.
"Strengthening
cities is beneficial to the environment," VanScoy continued. "When urban areas have good schools,
job opportunities, an adequate supply of housing, safe and reliable transportation, and low crime
rates, they become attractive places for families to live and businesses to set up shop. Robust
communities reduce the pressure on the environment associated with sprawl."
CCM has
invested in a number of urban renewal projects that have resulted in increased manufacturing in
urban areas where thousands of jobs have been lost and revitalization of housing in targeted
disadvantaged areas. The rehabilitation projects employed green building principles and resulted in
increased energy savings. One such project reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 69%.
"Our
goal is to invest at least 50% of the portfolio in securities that support environmental
initiatives," said VanScoy. "These securities include taxable municipal bonds, multifamily
mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities that support enterprise development, and
targeted single-family securities that support affordable and responsible home ownership."
In a recent blog
entry, Walker Wells, Director of the Green Urbanism Program at Global Green USA, a national environmental non-profit
organization, observed, "Green urbanism is the practice of creating communities beneficial to
humans and the environment." Strategies utilized in achieving the goals of green urbanism include
the application of green building principles at the neighborhood scale, the linking of buildings,
infrastructure, and natural systems, and an emphasis on retrofitting existing urban areas.
With the adoption of green building principles as a central platform of President Obama's
economic stimulus package, the number of building projects that incorporate environmentally
sustainable practices while making sense as financial investments are expected to grow. At a time
of historic turmoil in the stock market, the fixed returns offered by municipal bonds and similar
financial instruments are likely to gain increased attention from sustainability investors as well.
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SRI World Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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