Despite some encouraging environmental and energy-efficiency developments in recent years, none of America's 13 largest publicly traded homebuilders has ''fully embraced the emerging market of sustainable building design and construction,'' according to a new study by Calvert -- one of the nation's leaders in the field of sustainable and responsible investing.
The top five U.S. homebuilders for environmental sustainability, according to the study, are: No.1, K.B. Home, Los Angeles; tied for No. 2 D.R. Horton, Fort Worth, Texas, and Pulte, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; No. 4 Centex, Dallas; No. 5 Lennar, Miami.
The study, conducted with support from the Boston College Institute for Responsible Investment, concluded that the industry has a long way to go before any of the companies can truly claim to be addressing the risks and opportunities inherent in the environmental and climate change dilemmas.
To read more about the report, go to www.calvert.com.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
BEACON COUNCIL WOOS FASHION HOUSES
The Beacon Council is heading to Italy and France this month to target a new type of business for Miami-Dade County: fashion design houses.
A key part of two European trade missions this month will be an effort to attract companies who specialize in lifestyle and luxury products, including cosmetics, fashion, design, jewelry and watches.
Diegeo Stecchi, director of Salvatore Ferragamo for Latin America and the Caribbean, hopes to use his company's experience to show others that Miami can be an effective location for an Americas headquarters.
''Miami is a prime location to access buyers and consumers both from the U.S. and from Latin America,'' said Stecchi, who is chairing the initiative for the Beacon Council.
The trade missions seeks to recruit Italian and French companies interested in opening offices in Miami. Other industries that will be targeted on the mission include aviation and aerospace, financial and professional services and information technology and telecommunications.
TOURISM
SKYLIFT BALLOON RIDE CLOSES
Miami's newest tourist attraction has seen its fortunes drastically deflated.
Miami SkyLift, the 73-foot-tall balloon ride that opened at Bayfront Park several months ago, has shut down and filed for bankruptcy protection.
CBS4, which first reported the problems last week, said high winds kept the balloon grounded too much to turn a profit. But the company's business plan had trouble getting off the ground from the start.
Budget documents filed with the city showed SkyLift needed to sell $800,000 worth of advertising space on its balloon to pay for expenses, but it never secured permission from Miami for the floating billboard. Company officials did not return telephone messages.
