"Green" buildings make great sense from an economic standpoint; for local businesses, they demonstrate a shared community commitment to energy-efficiency and sustainability. Business leaders and associations can encourage the construction of green buildings by ensuring that their members are fully informed about the newest innovative building practices, techniques and standards.

Architects and green building consultants can be informative speakers at meetings and networking events; sharing information about green building projects with other business leaders can encourage more to follow suit.

Resources:

The LEED Program
The primary authority for third-party certification of green building materials, products and practices is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

ENERGY STAR
The American Institute of Architects (AIA), the EPA and the Department of Energy have teamed up to create the Energy Star program for commercial buildings and manufacturing plants. The AIA has called for a 50% reduction in burning fossil fuels for energy use by 2010, and the Energy Star Building program helps users to meet that goal. Rating systems allow architects and building owners to use the Energy Star logo.