NAREIT honors Vornado, Hines, Macerich, Wells, Liberty P.T. and Simon P.G.

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT) named the winners of its annual Leader in the Light Awards. NAREIT presents the Leader in the Light Awards in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program. The awards honor NAREIT member companies that have demonstrated superior and sustained energy use practices. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are presented in the competition, which is judged by sustainable energy use experts from government, business and academia. This year's top Gold Award was presented to Vornado Realty Trust. The Silver Award was presented to Hines REIT. In the Bronze category, there was a tie, and the award was presented to both Macerich and Wells REIT. The judges awarded honorable mentions to Liberty Property Trust and Simon Property Group for their programs. "REITs are at the leading edge of sustainable energy use practices, and the Leader in the Light Awards provide these companies an opportunity to showcase their achievements," said NAREIT executive vice president for finance and operations Sheldon Groner. "Their programs demonstrate that sustainability provides real benefits not only for the environment, but for the company, its tenants and its shareholders." This year's Leader in the Light Award judges were Michael Opitz, vice president, LEED, U.S. Green Building Council; David Stanford, president and CEO, Real Foundations; Mark Vorreuter, adjunct lecturer, Cornell University Program in Real Estate; and Maria Vargas, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Program. The awards were presented at NAREIT's REITWorld 2010 Annual Convention for All Things REIT in New York.