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A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure designed, built, renovated, operated or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health, improving employee productivity, using energy, water and other resources more efficiently, and reducing the overall impact on the environment.

A green building may cost more up front, but saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. The green building approach applies a project life cycle cost analysis for determining the appropriate up-front expenditure.  This analytical method calculates costs over the useful life of the asset.

These and other cost savings can only be fully realized if incorporated at the project’s conceptual design phase with the assistance of an integrated team of professionals. The integrated systems approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.

Some benefits, such as improving health, comfort, productivity and waste management are not easily quantified. Consequently, they are not adequately considered in most cost analyses. For this reason, developers are urged to set aside a small portion of the building budget to cover differential costs associated with less tangible green building benefits or to cover the cost of researching and analyzing green building options.

Even with a tight budget, many green building measures can be incorporated with minimal or zero increased up-front costs and they can yield enormous savings.

Some green building practices:
• Select a site close to mass transit;
• Protect and retain existing landscaping and natural features;
• Select plants that have low water and pesticide needs;
• Use recycled paving materials, furnishings and mulches;
• Use passive design strategies to enhance energy performance;
• Provide natural lighting. It has a positive impact on productivity and well-being;
• Install high-efficiency lighting systems with advanced controls;
• Use an energy-efficient cooling system alongside a thermally efficient building shell. 

Tips from California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery