High-performance buildings come in all colors: once considered cost-prohibitive, as a result of technological advances, there are now a wide variety of environmentally friendly materials and products available that also may yield greater performance and productivity.

• Author: Weiss, Michael J.
• Position: SUSTAINABILITY

The terms "sustainability" and being "green" may mean different things to different people. Those meanings typically include reducing carbon footprints, easing pollution, preventing further depletion of the ozone, halting the destruction of rainforests and putting an end to global warming, among others.

What they do have in common, though, is that they all involve saving the world to some degree--allowing current generations to meet or maintain their needs, without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.

Businesses of all types around the globe have taken on green initiatives. An increasing number of companies, large and small, have adopted green policies or implemented sustainable practices in many different forms. Corporations making significant investments in green technologies, firms owning or leasing space in green buildings or simply having employees telecommute are just some of the procedures being implemented.

Companies like Bank of America Corp., International Business Machines Corp., PepsiCo Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., United Technologies Corp. and Consolidated Edison Inc. are among the growing list of companies investing extensively in research and development, moving toward a sustainable future. These companies have established green divisions and have organized to explore environmentally friendly innovations to their current, as well as future business endeavors.

PepsiCo, for example, established a division to reduce its impact on the environment, encompassing water, energy and waste reduction. Bank of America now occupies a significant amount of space at the new One Bryant Park office tower on Sixth Avenue in New York City. This state-of-the-art, 52-story skyscraper has achieved the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification and serves as BofA's New York City headquarters.

Companies such as those mentioned above need not be alone in envisioning or embracing a green existence. There are aspects of sustainability that can be employed at numerous levels for companies of any size. But before making a move toward a sustainable approach, it is essential for businesses to establish a budget and set appropriate goals.

The Case for Green Buildings

According to the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Americans spend on average 90 percent of their time indoors, where the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that levels of pollutants may run two-to-five times--and...