This document discusses green building financing. It notes that while the additional upfront cost of greening a building is small, around 1-3% of total construction costs, green buildings can provide long term savings through lower operating costs. Lenders are starting to underwrite loans that account for improved financial performance from green buildings. Rating systems can benchmark and rate buildings on their energy use, water consumption, and waste reduction. Components of green underwriting examine areas like energy cost savings, faster rental absorption, and incentives. However, barriers still exist like lack of data on financial benefits and higher initial costs.