Multitenant office buildings have historically been laggards in green design and construction. The last year or so has seen signs of a shift in direction, especially with regard to energy efficiency. And now there is evidence of a new awareness of green building practices generally: “The G.R.E.E.N.” That stands for the Green Resource Energy and Environment Network, and it’s a new part of the BOMA International Web site (http://boma.org). BOMA identifies four goals for its new Web page: highlighting best practices, providing updates, sharing news about advocacy and code developments, and offering links. Among the highlights: a downloadable list of 30 “easy” steps landlords and property managers can take to save energy.At this point, the emphasis is definitely on energy. That makes sense, both environmentally and economically. As BOMA points out, energy is the largest single operating expense for office buildings.The G.R.E.E.N. is only one aspect of the shift that seems to be underway in the BOMA membership. Last year, the group launched its BOMA Energy Efficiency Program, a series of Web-based seminars. A survey of association members showed that 72 percent agree that global warming is a serious problem and that 67 percent think tenant demand will lead them to “go green” within five years.BOMA’s efforts offer more evidence for the argument that green design is moving into mainstream — and yet another reason that any facility executive with a pending construction project should take a hard look at making the project greener.