With green design emerging as a prominent way to reduce the pollution put out by buildings — what most of us eat, sleep and work in — jumping on the bandwagon could not only help the environment, but it also has some practical advantages.

Green design uses no nonrenewable resources and tries to impact the environment in the smallest way possible. One of the most important considerations when building new facilities includes the sourcing of the building materials, and the materials themselves. Are they recycled? Can they be recycled again later? It doesn't stop at the construction of the building; the continuing operation should also be environmentally friendly.

Some eco-friendly designs can include having an aluminum roof made of recycled content, windows placed facing the sun, solar panels, an Energy Star certified air conditioner, tank-less water heaters and bamboo flooring.

There are several advantages of building green for a business. The first has to do with cost. With sustainable structures using less energy, the operating costs decrease, saving owners money on electricity bills.

The second, more surprising benefit has to do with another type of energy: productivity.

“It has been demonstrated that when employees have thermal comfort, have access to views and daylight, and have the ability to control their immediate environs, productivity goes up and absenteeism and health issues go down,” says David Ertz, partner and senior designer, Cope Linder Architects.

Green design also has long-term perks, Ertz notes, including a “lower dependence on imported oil, less impact on the environment and climate change, and improved indoor comfort and air quality for the building occupants.”

The easiest way to take steps in the right direction is to accept and support green design.

“Business leaders should embrace green designs because it benefits that other green, their profits,” Ertz says. “Even a small increase in productivity can represent a significant improvement to annual income.”

It seems that building green is becoming a trend with everyone from the building products industry to real estate developers moving in and claiming sustainability. While this may seem like a step in the right direction, it is best to use caution.

For example, “A 10,000-square-foot vacation house in a remote, exotic locale can be built using green materials and green methods, but is it really green?” Ertz asks. 

Ertz recently worked on designing Midtown Crossing at Turner Park in Omaha, Neb. The development is a $300 million, 15-acre site that features 1 million square feet of development. Midtown Crossing features condos, apartments, restaurants and entertainment space. It also includes a seven-acre park space — all where an underutilized street frontage and surface parking lots used to be. “The most important element of Midtown Crossing,” Ertz says, “is that it makes everyday use of an automobile unnecessary.”

Midtown Crossing held its grand opening in May. It is a model for the redevelopment of urban neighborhoods and was selected to participate in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Neighborhood Development Certification pilot program.

Practical Solutions To Existing Facilities

What about greening an existing facility when a new facility isn't feasible? Here are a few steps you can take to lower your environmental footprint.

1. Make sure your landscaping is drought resistant. By doing so, you will lower your water use, as well as cost. Also, cutting down on mowing the lawn can help reduce pollution.

2. Make sure that the people in the building know where they can put their recyclable objects. If there is a container for cans next to a garbage can, people are more likely to recycle that can.

3. Protect the trees around your office. Take care of them.

4. Don't use pesticides. Chemicals can get into the groundwater, causing pollution.

5. Arrange carpools, purchase recycled paper and don't use disposable cups. Educate workers on recycling to make the process easy for them.

While it might seem like quite an investment to spend a higher cost when initially building a sustainable structure, the long-term advantages are too good to pass up. Green design conserves water, energy and natural resources. It also provides a healthier and safer environment for your staff. All of which, in the long term, saves money.

For more information on Cope Linder Architects, visit www.cope-linder.com/index.html.