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The three major drivers behind the green movement include environmental, economic and health and community benefits.
- Environmental: Enhances and protects ecosystems and biodiversity by improving air and water quality, reducing solid waste and conserving natural resources.
- Economic: Reducing operating costs, enhancing asset value and profits, improving employee productivity and satisfaction and optimizing life-cycle economic performance.
- Health and Community: Improving air, thermal and acoustic environments, enhancing occupant comfort and health, minimizing strain on local infrastructure and contributing to the overall quality of life.
The DOE reports that buildings account for 40 percent of all energy consumed in the U.S., 71 percent of electricity, 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and 36 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions.
Green building has many advantages. According to McGraw Hill, some of the perceived business advantages include the following:
- Decreased operating costs from 8 to 9 percent
- Increase in building value by 7.5 percent
- ROI improvement of 6.6 percent
- Increase in occupancy ratio by 3.5 percent
- Increase in rent ratio by 3 percent
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