12.07.2007 - 12:35pm ET

(CSRwire) December 7, 2007 - Innovest Strategic Value Advisors invites you to join our online presentation of the 2007 Real Estate Sector Report - Green Real Estate: Big on Opportunity, Slow on the Uptake. On Tuesday December 11th at 10AM EST (3PM London/4PM Paris).

Innovest has found that there is a strong geographic bias towards high-level performance in Europe and Australia, while, as a whole, North American and Asian firms lag far behind industry best practice.

Innovest undertook quantitative analysis of company ratings versus their share price and found there is a correlation between above average ratings and lower stock beta - meaning that the Innovest ratings could be used as a risk management tool for investment portfolios.

To register for the webinar, please click here.

While awareness of the environmental risks and opportunities available to real estate companies is growing, there is a pronounced gap in the degree to which these companies are systemically implementing actual strategies to address these risks. In its Real Estate report entitled "Green Listed Real Estate: A Growing Global Trend", which analyses the environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies and performance of the world’s largest 106 real estate companies, Innovest demonstrates that there are several drivers and global trends which point towards ESG performance playing an increasingly important role in determining real estate companies’ profitability and long-term competitiveness.

"Energy efficiency and operating costs are certainly key issues for the industry" states Amy Hall, Senior Analyst and co-author of the Report. "As climate change discussions gain momentum, the role of buildings is being addressed by governments around the world. Emitting up to 40% of global carbon emissions, buildings will play a significant role in any climate mitigation strategy. As the risks and opportunities of green design become more strategically aligned with financial performance, early leaders are set to gain a competitive advantage over laggards."

The 2007 Real Estate Report draws on the findings of Innovest's global review of the industry and its companies, based on the key pillars of strategic governance, human capital, stakeholder capital and environmental performance. Key ESG risks themes included in this year's report are energy and climate change; water, waste and resource use; government and stakeholder engagement (regulation); sustainable planning and development; and healthy design. The Report assigns Innovest's Intangible Value Assessment (IVA) ratings on all companies using its seven tier rating scale ranging from AAA (highest) to CCC (lowest). The Report profiles and benchmarks all 106 companies on their performance on these significant issues along with best practice examples, introducing Sector Sustainability Statistics for all companies.

To register for the webinar, please click here:

Innovest Strategic Value Advisors is an internationally recognized investment research and advisory firm specializing in analyzing companies’ performance on environmental, social, and strategic governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance. By assessing differentials typically not identified by traditional securities analysis, Innovest's IVA ratings uncover hidden risks and value potential for investors. Thomson Extel has ranked Innovest #1 for the provision of extra-financial research to the investment community for the past two years.

If you should have any questions about the webinar, please contact

Sarah Greenberg:
Call (212) 421-2000 x 210 or
E-mail sgreenberg@innovestgroup.com.

We hope to see you on the Webinar!

For more information please contact: