Constructing a Greener Future

Daniel R. Tishman, the fourth-generation owner of New York City–based Tishman Realty & Construction, grew up exploring Cold Spring, New York, a woodsy Hudson River town; he never wanted to be a Manhattan development mogul. Instead, he studied ecology in college, going on to work with the National Audubon Society. After that, he began running the family’s Boston business operations while living on a llama farm in Maine, where he fought local environmental battles on behalf of the state’s Natural Resources Council. Tishman enjoyed protecting his "own heavens," but began to look for a mis­sion that had national significance. After he was put in charge of Tishman Realty’s northeast division, he gave up Maine for midtown Manhattan. His environmental activism led to his focus on green construction practices and to his involvement in NRDC, where he was elected chairman of the board of trustees in December 2007. In his 10 years as a board member, Tishman boosted the development program, help­ing establish Forces for Nature, NRDC’s largest annual fund-raising benefit. At the same time, he was moving his family’s business toward greener build­ing projects. The company built the first green skyscraper in New York City, the Condé Nast building in Times Square, and is managing construction of the Freedom Tower at the site of the former World Trade Center, designed to earn gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. As chairman of NRDC’s board, Tishman describes himself as a sounding board for the organization’s leaders as they work to advance NRDC’s mission. "The world is facing some dramatic issues," Tishman says. "I see the opportunity to bring the organization to the next level."