Thursday, February 4, 2010

Ten Money Making Advantages of Sustainable Design


At the request of the Environment and Public Works Committee of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) came up with 10 Advantages of Sustainable Design. Their publication was titled, “Making the Business Case for High Performance Buildings.” Here are the 10 things that they listed:

1. Higher up-front costs (if any) for high performance green buildings can be recovered.
2. Integrated design lowers ongoing operating costs.
3. Better buildings equate to higher employee productivity.
4. New technologies enhance occupant health and well-being.
5. Healthier buildings can reduce liability.
6. Tenants’ costs can be significantly reduced.
7. Property value will increase.
8. Many financial incentive programs are available.
9. Communities will notice a developer’s efforts.
10. Using best practices yields more predictable results.

There have been studies that indicate and measured an increased worker productivity of up to 26 percent in buildings with high indoor environmental quality. In fact, retail sales have been shown to increase by up to 40 percent when natural daylight is brought into the sales areas.

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