WASHINGTON, DC — DTZ announced that vice chairman Laurie McMahon was named a 2015 Green Lease Leader at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Summit in Washington, DC last week. The recognition was established by the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) and the DOE Better Buildings Alliance to recognize brokers, property owners, and tenants who are effectively using the lease to drive energy and water savings in commercial buildings—offering substantial business and environmental benefits.The brokers recognized are market leaders who successfully add value for clients on major sustainability and energy issues.“I am thrilled to be named a 2015 Green Lease Leader by the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance and Institute for Market Transformation,” said McMahon. “As brokers, we have the unique opportunity to help our landlords and tenants work together to properly align incentives in order to achieve better environmental performance within buildings, seize opportunities for major upgrades at key inflection points during the life of a leased space and share information to allow for planning, measurement and continuous improvements to ultimately deliver healthy and productive workplaces.”A green lease encourages collaboration to take action to improve efficiency, saving tenants and building owners on average, 10-20% each month on a building’s energy and water bills. Since brokers are fundamental to all aspects of a commercial transaction, their knowledge and expertise in clauses and addendums that cut energy waste is crucial for savings to be realized. A study released by IMT last week showed that green leases could deliver nearly $3 billion in annual savings for the U.S. office sector alone.“In addition to so many forward-thinking property owners and tenants this year, we’re excited to be celebrating commercial brokers too as they play such a vital role in real estate transactions,” said Adam Sledd, director for IMT’s commercial real estate engagement program. “Brokers facilitate many interactions between landlords and tenants, and are relied on to identify and add sustainable best practices into the lease—this year’s Green Lease Leaders show a clear sign of the mastery of proven measures to reduce operating expenses and lessen the impact of buildings on the environment.”