What does it really mean for a residential developer to go green?
In a nutshell: Green building means making the structures we live and work in more economically sustainable over the long term, according to panelists at a recent conference on real estate law. “If you’re going green, you’re going to be concerned with water quality, water recycling, wildlife habitats, energy conservation, all of that,” said Karen Childress, director of environmental stewardship for Bonita Springs-based WCI Communities. Childress was a panelist at the Ralph E. Boyer Institute on Real Property Law sponsored by the University of Miami School of Law on Oct. 31. Other panelists were Denis Hector, associate professor of architecture at UM; Jeffrey Evans, architect at Jeffrey Evans Associates/Zona Developers of Davie; Michael Joyner, VP of environmental affairs for Jacksonville-based St. Joe Co.; and Heather Shandloff, a graduate student at the University of Florida in Gainesville. But Hector was slightly more critical of the development community, suggesting a major shift in
