John Forester, director of energy and sustainability at real estate management company The RMR Group Inc., joined Nareit for a video interview at Nareit’s 2018 ESG Forum in Seattle.
Forester discussed RMR’s continued efforts to keep employees engaged with the company’s sustainability initiatives. He pointed to increased EnergyStar boot camp participation and the company’s national volunteer day as examples of continued employee engagement.
In terms of ESG reporting, Forester said RMR’s biggest improvement has been to engage with key internal stakeholders and “organize around a message that speaks to all of our employees.” RMR currently uses EnergyStar, LEED and BOMA reporting metrics as a foundation for its reporting, he noted.
Meanwhile, Forester said that institutional investors are looking first at the financial strength of public companies. “ESG performance can be used as an indicator of their ability to be innovative and competitive,” he added.