By Ed Callaway 

Green building is becoming a significant market advantage for retail developers and property owners, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers.  The ICSC's monthly Shopping Centers Today has a feature article in which owners extol the virtues both of new green construction and green retrofits of the existing six billion square feet of retail space in the United States.   

Savings in energy costs, along with the cache of being green are commanding premium rents and reducing the time for payback of the initial investment in sustainable building.  A condensed version of the article is available at this link.