Many companies are 'greening up' their office buildings, sometimes at great expense. But are they looking out for their employees or just looking for kudos?

Certainly building a new headquarters that is clean and green will make you look good to the public, so there is ample opportunity to capitalize on the PR from embracing environmentalism. But good PR is not the be-all and end-all to this trend.

Using less energy in an office building helps to lower both costs and the emissions which can cause greenhouse gases. Clean internal air means happier and healthier staff. Using recycled materials – either from the demolished building on site previously or from recycling firms - reduces the amount of waste involved. It also lowers capital expenditures and improves the overall asset value of the building, proving to their shareholders that being green saves greenbacks.

Because green is becoming mainstream, the availability of environmentally sustainable materials has improved and the costs have come down. Part of the credit belongs to the U.S. Green Building Council, which has been running educational programs for green building for more than a decade. The USGBC is a coalition of leaders in the building industry who are helping to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy.

USGBC runs the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems, which awards buildings Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum certificates based on a point system. It is an all volunteer program and is growing geometrically.

The LEED certification process remains the most popular way in which to ensure a building is designed and built to current green standards. LEED-certified buildings have lower operating costs and higher asset value than their non-certified compatriots. They reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water and energy, reduce waste sent to landfills and are healthy inside.

Since building green is only marginally more expensive than not building green, it is hard to justify not doing it. See www.usgbc.org for more information.