That the building industry in New York City will become increasingly green seems like a no-brainer. How long it will take is the bigger question. There have been a couple of high profile projects in downtown Manhattan–a rental building in Battery Park and now 7 World Trade–and now there are two developments in Williamsburg slated to come on line at some point next year. Of course, plenty of individuals have been doing smaller-scale green renos for years. The big barrier is an increase in up-front costs–estimated at 10% to 15%–but as David Schleifer (pictured) is finding, you can still make money on a green flip.
Smells Like Green Spirit [NY Post]