EXPO REAL and PropertyEU launch search for Europe's greenest developer

PropertyEU has joined forces with the EXPO REAL international property fair in Munich to identify and honour the development company with the greenest environmental strategy in Europe.

The two parties say The Green Thinker Award is a direct response to the recent proliferation of debates, seminars and conferences focusing on sustainability issues within the European real estate industry over the past 18 months. While applauding the attention for sustainability, the organisers of the award say it is not always easy to separate the serious ideas from the 'greenwash'.

The Green Thinker Award will endeavour to do that by answering key questions: 'who are the Green Thinkers in the European property industry?' and 'which green thoughts work well for a company and what can others learn from their pioneering efforts?'

EXPO REAL, in association with PropertyEU, has developed a unique research project that looks at the environmental strategies of the leading real estate developers in Europe. The aim is to pool existing thoughts and ideas on this very vital issue and steer the discussion in a clear direction.

The research team for the Green Thinker Award has selected 53 contenders based on an overview of 100 leading real estate developers in Europe published by PropertyEU in January 2008. A shortlist of 15 nominees will be announced at the end of August. The winner of the Green Thinker Award - a sculpture by Dutch artist David Veldhoen - will be presented at the EXPO REAL trade fair in Munich on Tuesday, 7 October 2008.

EXPO REAL and PropertyEU have brought together a jury of recognised experts in the field of sustainability to look at the environmental and corporate social responsibility strategies of Europe's leading development companies. The jury includes Anna Braune, director of the German Green Building Council and Jack de Leeuw, director of the Dutch Green Building Council. They will be supported by Professor Graeme Newell of the College of Business of the University of Western Sydney, Australia, who has published research about the green strategies of some of the leading real estate companies in Europe. The fourth jury member is Louise Ellison, research director at the Investment Property Forum in London.

The Green Thinker Award consists of a green sculpture entitled 'Weight of Thoughts' by Dutch artist David Veldhoen. 'As an almost logical answer to the industrial and digital revolution, a green revolution now appears to be unfolding,' says Veldhoen. 'An inevitable, but fantastic development and the best fashion trend you could ever imagine. Because who doesn’t want a cleaner and more pleasant world? What I attempt to show in my work, through special visual references to plants, animals and natural processes, is what nature means to us.'

From 6 to 8 October, EXPO REAL 2008 will be rolling out the green carpet - literally. The Green Carpet will run from the entrance of the Messe exhibition hall to a centre for sustainable ideas: the Green Thinker Lounge. In association with PropertyEU, EXPO REAL will use this unique location to host a series of events aimed at broadening and deepening the debate on sustainable development. There will be presentations of innovative technologies and techniques from around the globe, as well as a special seminar devoted to the Green Building Councils in Europe. The programme also includes the presentation of the Green Thinker Award. For the duration of EXPO REAL, the artwork itself will be on show in the Green Thinker Lounge.

In association with EXPO REAL, PropertyEU will publish a special edition of its monthly magazine for the Green Thinker Award. The publication will comprise profiles of the competing companies, interviews with the jury members and an article on the Green Building Councils in Europe.

Claudia Boymanns, exhibition director of EXPO REAL: 'Green thinking is not just a fashion trend - it is here to stay. The Green Thinker Award is a celebration of this new awareness of our environment. As Europe's leading commercial real estate trade fair, we are committed to advancing the debate on this subject and driving the search for best practices.'

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO GO DIRECTLY TO THE GREEN THINKER WEBSITE