Two years into our 10-year Sustainability and Resilience Plan, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is making significant progress in addressing urgent sustainability and climate challenges. NAR invites you and your team to partner with us as we work to reduce our environmental impact, increase resiliency, build a greener industry and create a more sustainable future.
“Real estate is on the front line of climate change, and REALTORS® need to be ahead of the curve,” says Marc Gould, NAR’s senior vice president of Member Development. “NAR’s Sustainability Program is designed to build awareness and provide programs and resources that members need to make an impact, with essential information on issues like energy efficiency, green buildings, risk management, insurance, financing, climate equity, and community health and wellness.”
Highlights of NAR’s Sustainability Program:
ESG+R Report
The cornerstone of NAR’s Sustainability Program, our annual Environment, Social, Governance and Resilience (ESG+R) Report tells our sustainability story through specific actions and goals, tracks our progress, lays out major accomplishments and noteworthy activities, and clarifies our future strategies. NAR is leading the way as an association committed to making a positive impact on sustainability. The report puts NAR alongside 97% of S&P 500 companies who publicly file ESG+R Reports.
Growing sustainability
As part of our commitment to sustainability, NAR is partnering with the National Forest Foundation to plant 1.575 million trees, one for each member. This campaign will plant native trees in U.S. National Forests to sustain natural ecosystems, foster resilient forests and promote healthy communities.
Awards and rewards
NAR earned a platinum certification from the Green Business Bureau (GBB)—the trusted authority in green business and sustainability. This coveted award, achieved by only one in five companies that apply, demonstrates our leadership in, and commitment to, sustainable practices. NAR members can join the GBB and receive a 20% discount by visiting www.nar.realtor/sustainability/GBB and using the code NAR20.
NAR also received the 2022 Business Intelligence Group Sustainability Leadership Award honoring those who make sustainability an integral part of their business practice.
Educational opportunities
NAR recently launched the Introduction to Sustainability and Resilience: What REALTORS® Need to Know course, designed by experts in sustainable real estate and available at no cost to you and your agents. Additional offerings are coming soon, including a course in green financing, and all members are encouraged to earn NAR’s Green Designation to deepen their sustainability knowledge.
Conference clean-up project
To celebrate President Leslie Rouda Smith’s sustainability-focused presidency, attendees of NAR NXT in Orlando, Nov. 11 – 13, are invited to come a day early and participate in beautifying a local lake trail and hear from community leaders how beautification projects can impact any neighborhood.
Revealing research
Every year, NAR publishes two major REALTORS® and Sustainability Reports—Residential and Commercial—that are showing a steady increase in awareness of and interest in sustainability. For example, 50% of residential REALTORS® said they had helped clients buy or sell a home with green features in 2022, up from 32% in 2021. Approximately one-third (34%) of REALTORS® noted rising anxiety about the effect of climate change and extreme weather events on their businesses. And 71% of commercial agents said promoting energy efficiency in listings was very or somewhat valuable.
Clearly, clients and consumers are focused on sustainability and seeking to work with real estate practitioners who are knowledgeable about topics like energy efficiency and environmental impact. REALTORS® who can speak with authority about a property’s sustainable features and convey the value, health benefits, energy savings, durability and operation costs are at a major advantage in the market.
Join NAR in making sustainability and resiliency a priority in your brokerage and a prominent part of your business plan. Learn more at www.nar.realtor/sustainability.
