(Featuring Lauren Krause, Director of Environment, Social, and Governance, Grosvenor Americas and Brian Biggs, CFA, Research Director, Grosvenor Americas)

Though “impact investing” is no longer totally distinct from investing in general, investors still have a lot of work to do to fulfill the social and governance aspects of ESG expectations.

https://www.afire.org/podcast/peoplefirstcast/

Gone are the days when investors considered “impact investing” separate from just “investing.” In virtually every industry, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters have moved from a peripheral concern to a core business pillar. Real estate is no exception.

Within real estate, the conversation around the environmental component of ESG is quite advanced—and with good reason, as real estate is one of the largest domestic sources of greenhouse gas emissions and embodied carbon in the developed world. The “E” of ESG also has well-defined assessment metrics, key milestones for decarbonizing, and a robust certification marketplace for verifying a building’s green credentials.

On this episode of the AFIRE Podcast, Lauren Krause, Director of Environment, Social, and Governance, Grosvenor Americas and Brian Biggs, CFA, Research Director, Grosvenor Americas, go deeper to explain the social and governance sections of ESG. Science has been very clear on environmental changes necessary, but it can be much more difficult to identify steps to take to fulfill the rest of ESG's goals.