Those following climate change adaptation may be interested in an article that appeared on Sunday, August 24, 2014, in the Miami Herald describing a project for floating villas near Miami.  The specific project is, of course, specific to the location and market.  However, the general observation is that technology to address sea level rise has been a feature of the Dutch economy for centuries.  As rising sea levels threaten coastal infrastructure in the United States and elsewhere, some of those technologies may be useful to consider.  Not everyone is going to live on in a ..read more

The Biden-Harris administration is quickly establishing new federal environment requirements affecting commercial property owners and managers. These requirements, along with changes occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, raise a host of new practical and legal considerations for landlords and property managers. This GT Alert discusses the five top considerations. Click here to continue reading the full GT Alert ..read more

The non-profit Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) confirmed that Greenberg Traurig is the first major law firm to be certified through its Green-e® Energy program. In addition, CRS has certified that Greenberg Traurig’s North American offices are powered by 100% renewable energy. The CRS Green-e® Energy program has been called the leading renewable energy certification program in the United States ..read more

As of Jan. 1, 2021, all permit applications for new buildings in the Netherlands are being tested against new criteria which aim to ensure that these new buildings are (almost) energy neutral. This requirement was already in place for new Dutch governmental buildings, but now it has been expanded to cover every new building (residences, offices, etc ..read more

Brady R. McShane authored an article in the Colorado Real Estate Journal titled “Green Roof Initiative: Compare the Green Roof Initiative with the new proposal.” The article discusses Denver’s Green Roof Review Task Force and its proposed changes to the Initiative. Passed by voters in the November 2017 election, the Green Roof Initiative aimed to decrease building energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and the urban heat island effect, but has been criticized as an impractical, “one-size-fits-all approach.” To read the article, click here ..read more

Green building legislation and, in particular, green roof legislation has been implemented outside of the United States for decades as one means of mitigating urban heat. In the past decade, local and state governments in the United States have joined in with a marked and steady uptick in the enactment of their own green building legislation. In the wake of the June 2017 announcement that the United States intends to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, representatives of many U.S. cities (including Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City), states, and companies have pledged to meet the U ..read more

This year’s New York State budget offered numerous headline grabbing changes, yet one of the less-heralded portions has the highest potential to reshape the state’s responsiveness to changing climactic conditions.  As part of the state transportation, economic development, and environmental conservation Article VII budget legislation (“TED Bill”), the Legislature passed Title 15 of Part U, creating a new climate change mitigation and adaptation account in the Environmental Protection Fund.  This Title provides a new way for New York State municipalities to receive state assistance fu ..read more

In this Invest: Insights video, listen to Kerri L. Barsh, Shareholder, Greenberg Traurig, Co-Chair, National Environmental Practice discuss Sustainable Development in South Florida ..read more

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma destroyed a pair of dilapidated marinas in North Bay Village where Fane Lozman, a former Marine pilot and software developer, kept a two-story floating home.  Kerri L. Barsh successfully represented Mr. Lozman in a landmark admiralty jurisdiction case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Fane Lozman v. City of Riviera Beach, FL ruling had national implications for the growing number of floating homes, oil rigs, casinos, restaurants, and hotels, as well as state and local governments relative to their respective regulatory authority over floating structures. It also ..read more

On Feb. 17, U.K. private equity firm Actis announced a $1.9 billion joint venture with energy developer Mainstream Renewable Power to build a series of wind and solar projects throughout Africa over the next three years.  Read more on Greenberg Traurig’s new “Doing Business in Africa” blog.   ..read more