Those involved in the real estate business — whether it’s the property owners or the lenders or the advisors and service providers to those owners and lenders — are becoming increasingly (though sometimes reluctantly) familiar with terms such as LEED accreditation, Brownfields and sustainability. The growing emphasis on the environment is obvious to us all.. a focus that will not be ignored. Since the first Earth Day in 1970, what used to be referred to quaintly as the “environmental movement” has grown into a central component of our lives. Being “green” is certainly accepted and generally considered “cool”.

There is another term associated with the environment has gained traction recently – “Greenwashing”. Greenwashing is derived from the combination of Green (environmentally friendly) and whitewashing (to cover up) and is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present an environmentally responsible public image”. Continue reading →