On 2 July 2012, Colin Maguire of the SERF Foundation interviewed Steven Cox, Bonny Hedderly and Jonathan Lawrence of K&L Gates, London in connection with sustainable real estate and the green real estate agenda. The SERF Foundation is the Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities Foundation based in Michigan, US and promotes practical environmental stewardship through written and online publication of green building design, materials and techniques.

Colin kindly provided us with this edited transcript.

The United States commercial real estate industry faces a number of challenges and opportunities, both legal and practical, when it comes to green building practices and the implementation of sustainability principles. Yet, are those challenges and opportunities unique to the US? I flew to London and interviewed some of the United Kingdom’s top minds on the commercial real estate industry’s struggles and goals in achieving sustainability.

The three individuals I interviewed were lawyers working in the K&L Gates London office. Mr. Steven D. Cox is Of Counsel at the firm, a member of their real estate practice group, a LEED® Accredited Professional, and works on many finance and development issues. Ms. Bonny Hedderly is a Senior Associate and Professional Support Lawyer in the firm’s real estate group and works with property development, finance, and investing. Mr. Jonathan Lawrence is a Partner in the firm’s finance group, but also practices in a variety of fields including real estate development, investment & finance, distressed real estate, and energy & infrastructure projects. All three collaborated to write “The Real Estate Green Agenda: What Banks Should Know,” which was originally published in Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, February 2012.