Charlotte, NC — Shannon Smith kicked off the Climate, Land Use and Energy Leadership (CLUE) luncheon this week at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Annual Meeting in Charlotte as part of Abundant Power Group’s sponsorship of the event.  Smith noted the significance of Charlotte’s history as the site of America’s first gold rush as appropriate to the Conference theme of “Power to Lead, Energy to Thrive”, given the opportunity real estate executives have today to manage energy performance and behavioral change in commercial buildings.

Participants in the luncheon included Carol Browner, former EPA chief and energy advisory to President Obama; Jonathan Rose, a leading green urban developer and founder of the Garrison Institute, which explores the relationship between human behavior and real estate, climate and energy issues; Peter Calthorpe, a renowned urban designer and ULI Nichols Prize winner; Uwe Brandes, Senior Vice President of ULI; and Philip Payne, Chief Executive Officer of Charlotte-based Gingko Residential and initiator of a Charlotte hub for the Garrison Institute.

“Our membership in the Urban Land Institute is essential to our strategy of serving the commercial building market with financial solutions that improve the value, appeal and quality of assets through enhanced energy performance,” Smith stated.  “Connecting with ULI leaders accelerates our ability to deliver.”