Profitably green

Sometimes green activism can go too far, such as blocked projects and completed roads that cannot be opened. However, it is hard to find the downside of ecology in the real estate sector. It has increased the value of projects and led to them being constructed more efficiently; created people-friendly workplaces and shopping centres that look like gardens, as well as energy-efficient buildings. There were no criticisms of the trend to be heard during the September ?Switch to Green' conference at the Warsaw Sheraton hotel. "If it were not for the change in attitude towards the environment, we would have been on the brink of an ecological disaster," declared Mieczysław Grodzisz of Hines Polska during the first discussion panel. "We can now hope to avert such a disaster in the future, as developers now have environmental factors in mind as early as at the design stage," added Maciej Zajdel, who represented IVG Poland.Warehouse developers also need to think about green solutions, accordin