EDITOR’S COMMENT I stumbled across a fantastic statement from clothing brand Patagonia this week. Full disclosure, I am a fully paid-up member of the Patagonia fan club, so there is a touch of bias here. Patagonia dominates my wardrobe. But there is a reason for that. And it is because the business is smart and considerate and its principles mean something to me.
But this statement gave me pause to think about the way that I approach certain things and the way the industry does too.
It went like this:
“We’re all screwed
So don’t tell us that
We can imagine a healthy planet
Because at the end of the day
It’s too late to fix the climate crisis
And we refuse to believe
We need to demand a liveable future
Because we don’t have a choice.”
Then Patagonia asked us to read it backwards. To flip our perception on an issue from one of catastrophe to one of hope and positive action. Its message is about the climate challenge but is applicable to so much more.
All eyes are firmly trained on Glasgow and COP26 right now. Whether the gathering will actually bring about real, tangible change, I don’t know. World leaders and politicians love to talk, after all. But what I do know is that real estate can make a real, tangible change. And that it can do it today. I believe that real estate can and should read that statement from the bottom up because it has the power, the ability, and increasingly, the passion to make a change.
Too often we focus on the problem, rather than focusing on exactly what we can do to solve that problem. Yes, we need to highlight and understand the issues that the industry and the world at large face, but solutions come when we look at the tangible actions we can take, not the failings we have.
And it is here where I feel inspired by the real estate sector. Yes, that’s right, inspired. This is a sector that has the solutions to so many problems.
The industry has the answers to the climate crisis. It knows the actions it needs to take, and many are taking them. Yes, it cannot do it on its own, but it can lead an army.
And when it comes to the “levelling-up” agenda and “building back better”, no one can do that better than the built environment. We’ve seen that this week with Landsec investing heavily in both MediaCity in Salford Quays and regeneration specialist U+I. The REIT is flexing its muscles to show exactly what it can deliver across the UK. I have no doubt its actions will have a ripple effect. Expect others to follow suit.
And then in the field of D&I, real estate is built to be inclusive. This is a sector of so many specialisms. You can be anyone, with any skill, from anywhere in real estate. There is a place for you. We have just focused on the problem – the perception – for too long. Now is the time to show how inclusive real estate can be.
And I believe we started to do at this year’s EG Awards. What a night that was. Thank you so much to everyone who came and everyone who made it happen. This was an event that flipped the perception. No black tie, no sea of identical faces, no identikit awards dinner. It was different, progressive, purposeful and, dare I say it, fun. It was a reflection of what real estate is, should and can be.
So, as the purpose of COP26 runs the risk of being lost in the noise of people too focused on the problem and the fanfare, let’s make sure real estate does what I know it can do best. Be the solution.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated to Refuge, EG’s charity of choice for this year’s awards. Our fundraising is open until 12 November, so if you’d like to do your bit to help protect vulnerable women, please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/egta21
To send feedback, e-mail samantha.mcclary@eg.co.uk or tweet @samanthamcclary or @EGPropertyNews
