INTRODUCTION
US companies are beginning to see that it is time to turn over a new leaf. Companies with environmental positions have realised substantial financial benefits for themselves and, subsequently, for their shareholders. During the five years before August 2001, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index outperformed the Dow Jones Global Index with an annualised return of 15.8 per cent versus 12.5 per cent. The Sustainability Index consists of the top 10 per cent of companies in 68 industry groups in 21 countries that are seen as leaders in environmental development.1
Green buildings are enjoying a similar market transformation. They are no longer expensive workplaces for the ultra- environmentalist. They are energy- and resource-efficient offices of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, architects’ offices and government buildings. They are financially responsible spaces of pharmaceutical labs and heavy industry warehouses. They are also performance enhancing facilities for education at every level. They are buildings that are being demanded by savvy owners and operators from every industry in every corner of the country.