The newly founded Columbia MSRED Sustainability Forum is the vehicle through which MSRED students will identify, explore and promote sustainability efforts and opportunities within the framework of the built environment. Through the Sustainability Forum, MSRED students will exhibit thought leadership, network, conduct research, and bring together sustainable industry leadership, in furtherance of the goals of sustainability. Emphasis will be placed on professional and social networking, giving students unparalleled access to the people, projects and best practices within the current sustainable development landscape. The Sustainability Forum will foster creative and collaborative contributions to sustainable issues. Through presentations by sustainability experts, site visits, attendance at Green networking and sustainable industry events, a sustainable mentoring program with local industry experts, and research projects, among other activities, the Sustainability Forum will become a proactive force driving sustainability within the local and international real estate industry, and will position the Columbia MSRED program and its students at the forefront of this important global movement.