Resilience Report Glossary

Boston Children’s Hospital: Boston Children’s Hospital is dedicated to improving and advancing the health and well-being of children around the world through its life-changing work in clinical care, biomedical research, medical education and community engagement. For more information, see https://www.childrenshospital.org/.

Boston Nature Center: Boston Nature Center is a community nature center and wildlife sanctuary with trails that traverse meadows, woods, and wetlands; home to over 150 species of birds, 40 species of butterflies, and more than 350 species of plants supported by Mass Audubon. For more information, see https://www.massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/wildlife-sanctuaries/boston-nature-center.

CREST Program: The Commercial Real Estate Success Training (CREST) is a paid internship program designed to introduce people of color and women, both of whom are typically underrepresented, to the commercial real estate industry. Through CREST, firms in the commercial real estate industry in Boston had the opportunity to expand their base of potential long-term employees from a diverse pool of highly qualified college students studying in the Boston area. For more information on the CREST program, see https://crestinternship.com/about.

CRREM: By setting science-based carbon reduction pathways, CRREM faces the challenge to estimate risk and uncertainty associated to commercial real estate de-carbonization, building a methodological commercial real estate de-carbonization, building a methodological on the investor portfolios. For more information, see https://www.crrem.org/about-crrem-phase-ii/.

Energy Star/Energy Star Portfolio Manager: Energy Star Portfolio Manager is an interactive resource management tool offered by the US Environmental Protection Agency that enables companies to benchmark the energy use of any type of building, all in an online environment. Energy Star scores buildings on a scale of 1-100, based on their benchmarking methodology, and buildings with a score of 75 or above have the opportunity to be Energy Star certified. For more information, see https://www.energystar.gov/buildings/benchmark.

GDPR: The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the toughest privacy and security law in the world. Though it was drafted and passed by the European Union (EU), it imposes obligations onto organizations anywhere, so long as they target or collect data related to people in the EU. The regulation was put into effect on May 25, 2018. For more information, see https://gdpr.eu/.

Green Lease Leader: The Green Lease Leaders Organization provides guidance in leasing practices to advance mutually beneficial landlord-tenant relationships that lead to higher-performing buildings and healthier, more sustainable communities. Their certification program recognizes companies who are taking the lead on providing tenants with green leases and setting an example for the sustainable buildings industry. For more information, see https://www.greenleaseleaders.com/.

GRESB: The GRESB Real Estate Assessments capture information regarding ESG performance and sustainability best practices for real estate funds and companies worldwide. The Assessment is shaped by what investors and the industry consider to be material issues in the sustainability performance of real estate investments. The methodology is consistent across regions, investment vehicles and property types, and it aligns with international reporting frameworks. Participants are given a score of 1 to 5 stars. For more information, see https://www.gresb.com/nl-en/

INREV: INREV is the European Association for Investors in Non-Listed Real Estate Vehicles. They are Europe’s leading platform for sharing knowledge on the non-listed real estate industry. INREV’s goal is to improve transparency, professionalism, and best practices across the sector, making the asset class more accessible and attractive to investors. For more information, see https://www.inrev.org/.

Institute for Market Transformation: The Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) bridges the intersection of business, government, and community priorities to spotlight business practices and advance public policy to improve U.S. buildings. For more information, see https://www.imt.org/.

International WELL Building Institute (“IWBI”): IWBI is a public benefit corporation whose mission is to improve human health and well-being in buildings and communities across the world through its WELL Building Standard. For more information, see https://www.wellcertified.com/.

ISO certifications: ISO is an independent, non-governmental international organization with a membership of 167 national standards bodies. Through its members, it brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges. For more information, see https://www.iso.org/certification.html.

KidsOut: KidsOut gives disadvantaged children positive experiences to support them becoming future members of our society and workforce. For more information, see https://www.kidsout.org.uk.

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification is one of the most widely used and recognized green building certification programs worldwide. To achieve LEED certification, a project earns points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality. Projects go through a verification and review process by Green Building Certification Inc. and are awarded points that correspond to a level of LEED certification: Certified (40-49 points), Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points). For more information, see https://www.usgbc.org/leed.

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless: The Coalition embraces a collaborative approach to unify people and mobilize resources to support its mission. The Coalition has been committed to tackling difficult problems that impact families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness or at-risk of losing their homes. For more information, see https://mahomeless.org/.

Measurabl: Measurabl is a sustainability data platform for corporate disclosure and transparency related to the Real Estate industry. The Measurabl platform includes the S&P Global tools for measuring climate risk. For more information on Measurabl and the S&P Global integration, see https://www.measurabl.com/.

MSCI Climate VaR: MSCI’s Climate Value-At-Risk tool is designed to provide a forward-looking and return-based valuation assessment to measure climate related risks and opportunities in an investment portfolio. The fully quantitative model offers deep insights into how climate change could affect company valuations. For more information on MSCI VaR, see https://www.msci.com/documents/1296102/16985724/MSCI-ClimateVaR-Introduction-Feb2020.pdf

National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework: Created through collaboration between industry and government, the voluntary NIST Cybersecurity Framework consists of standards, guidelines, and practices to promote the protection of critical infrastructure. The prioritized, flexible, repeatable, and cost-effective approach of the Framework helps owners and operators of critical infrastructure to manage cybersecurity-related risk. For more information, see https://www.nist.gov/.

PREA SEO: The Pension Real Estate Association partnered with the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity to create a first-of-its-kind real estate training program for qualified Black, Hispanic, and Native American undergraduates. The partnership aims to increase diverse employment in the commercial real estate industry by developing a pipeline of talented students of color. https://www.seo-usa.org/news/prea-foundation-and-seo-partner-to-advance-diversity-and-inclusion-in-real-estate/.

Project Destined: Project Destined is a leading education program that offers a variety of educational opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds. They partner with universities and real estate companies to offer students internships and classes to develop their professional skills and kickstart their real estate careers. For more information, see https://projectdestined.com/.

SOS Children’s Village International: the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to the care of vulnerable children. They take a comprehensive approach to preventing child abandonment, offering long-term care for children in need and empowering young people with the resources to reach their full potential. SOS Children’s Villages now works in 136 countries, operates more than 540 villages, and has impacted an estimated 13 million people. For more information, see https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/about-us.

Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land creates parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. The organization works alongside communities across the country to create, protect, and steward the nature-rich places that are vital to human well-being. For more information, see https://www.tpl.org/our-mission.

ULI GreenPrint: The ULI GreenPrint Center for Building Performance is a worldwide alliance of leading real estate owners, investors, and strategic partners committed to improving the environmental performance of the global real estate industry. For more information on ULI GreenPrint, see https://americas.uli.org/research/centers-initiatives/greenprint-center/.

UN PRI: Principles for Responsible Investing reporting is the largest global reporting project on responsible investment. It was developed with investors, for investors. Signatories are required to report on their responsible investment activities annually. For more information, see https://www.unpri.org/.

US Department of Energy: The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, as well as manages the research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy-related research, and energy conservation. For more information, see https://www.energy.gov/.

US Green Building Council: The USGBC is a nonprofit organization committed to sustainable development through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC developed the LEED green building certification program to support its mission of market transformation. They offer a robust selection of educational programs for their nationwide network of chapters and affiliates. For more information on USGBC, see https://www.usgbc.org/.

WELL Certification: The WELL Building Standard™ version 2 (WELL v2™) is a vehicle for buildings and organizations to deliver more thoughtful and intentional spaces that enhance human health and well-being. WELL v2 includes a set of strategies—backed by the latest scientific research—that aim to advance human health through design interventions and operational protocols and policies and foster a culture of health and well-being. WELL Certifications are awarded at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level. For more information, see https://www.wellcertified.com/.

Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors: The purpose of the Chartered Surveyors’ Company is to contribute to British national life by supporting the property profession and, through its wider charitable activities, to be a force for good in advancing education and helping young people achieve their potential. For more information, see https://surveyorslivery.org.uk/the-company/.