Green Workplaces Enhance Employee Comfort and Productivity

Value of Using Low-Emitting Products
Case Studies
Creating "Green" Workplaces
Tips for Creating "Green" Workplaces
References
Additional Information

Value of Using Low-Emitting Products

In the late 1980s, the State of Washington, long recognized as one of the most progressive states on raising awareness and implementing programs to protect the outdoor and indoor environment, pioneered a strategy to reduce levels of pollutants in the indoor environment and to demonstrate that this strategy works and is worth doing. In 1990 the state's Department of General Administration created the Assessment Program for Indoor Air Quality, also known as the "East Campus Plus IAQ Program" and included the program's guidelines in the state's design and construction specifications. Design specifications addressed ventilation, pollutant emissions, lighting, and other elements to ensure that safe buildings would be created and occupants would be happy, healthy, and productive while working in them.

Air Quality Sciences, Inc. (AQS) of Atlanta, Georgia was instrumental in developing IAQ guidelines with the State of Washington and later in evaluating the program's effectiveness. The implementation and evaluation of this program is perhaps the most comprehensive study done to date in this area, and the program's success has inspired other states, the federal government and private industry to embrace the idea of selecting low-emitting products as a part of their overall effort to provide good indoor air quality.[1]

The US Green Building Council (USGBC), a national, committee-based, consensus organization representing a full cross section of the building industry, has taken leadership role to accelerate the adoption of "green" building practices, technologies, policies and standards. For more information about the LEED program, click on the LEED Certification tab above.

In Summer 2004, USGBC will launch LEED™ for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI), a rating systems especially for tenant spaces primarily in new or existing office and institutional buildings. LEED-CI references the GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® Products as a requirement for low-emitting furniture. GREENGUARD is the only resource for tested and certified low-emitting building materials and furnishings.  To learn more about LEED-CI, click here or on the LEED-CI tab above.

To help make it easier for building owners and tenants to "go green" in the state of New York, the Green Building Tax Credit was signed into law in May 2000. The tax credit provides $25 million from 2001 to 2009 in income and franchise tax credits to encourage building owners and tenants to produce energy-conserving and environmentally friendly buildings and spaces.

One of the goals of this legislation is to give financial help in designing a "green" building that avoids using carpet, paints or other interior materials that can release harmful chemicals. For example, the legislation provides a credit of five percent of the cost of a project-up to $3.75 per square foot for interior work and $7.50 per square foot for exterior work-to builders who meet energy goals and use non-toxic materials in construction. To qualify, a building must meet requirements for energy use, indoor air quality, waste disposal and water use. There is also a credit equivalent to 10 percent of the cost of new air-conditioning equipment that uses refrigerants that do not harm the ozone layer.[2]

Case Studies

Some other examples of places that have incorporated green building concepts into their building design and furnishings include:

• The new office of the World Resources Institute (WRI) reflects the organization's mission of moving human society toward environmental sustainability. They used salvaged and "character-grade" sub-premium wood to make good use of material that would otherwise be considered waste. The office doors are manufactured from wheat straw fiberboard, are formaldehyde-free, and are finished with a low-VOC, UV-cured finish. Renewable resources, such as bamboo and cork, were used for the flooring in the reception area. Click here for more examples and to take a virtual tour of the materials used in their office.

• In the Conde Nast tower in New York City, there are solar panels, air intakes on every floor, and filters that screen out 85 percent of particulates in the air. Most other buildings, in contrast have filters that only keep out 30 percent of these pollutants. Low-emitting materials were used to furnish the building including carpet and office furniture. The state of Washington pollutant specifications were used in the purchase of interior furnishings, and emissions testing was required.

• An accounting firm who wanted to decrease IAQ problems hired a special design firm to assist in meeting this goal. The design firm gave detailed attention to selection of construction materials, furnishings and finishes to ensure low, non-toxic emissions. The accounting firm found that VOC concentrations were 50 percent to 70 percent lower than similar offices in another part of the building. They also reported a year after occupying the space, that individual absenteeism was 6 percent to 10 percent less than it had been in its previous building.[3]

• By having healthy buildings that have good lighting, heating, and cooling, productivity has been shown to increase by 6 percent to 16 percent.[4] For example, one company that specializes in computer network and software applications was told that for their 80,000 square-foot building it would cost them $900,000 extra for natural building materials that would reduce toxins and for devices that would cut electrical consumption. However, by spending this money to make a healthy building, they are saving about $110,000 per year in energy costs and productivity has increased more than five percent. Eighteen months after moving into the new building, absenteeism rates for this company fell 40 percent from what they had been for the same people doing the same jobs in the older building next door.[5]

• In Richmond, Virginia, the American Lung Association is housed in its "Breathe Easy" office building. It has a "conditioned" crawl space that contains a moisture barrier that prevents production of mold and other airborne contaminants. It has an advanced heating and air-conditioning system that can capture 99 percent of airborne particles. Windows filter ultraviolet light, keep out moisture and can be opened. Flooring, tiles and cabinets are made of materials that do not produce harmful vapors. The building is not only healthy, but also energy efficient, with a brick exterior and cellulose insulation.[6]

• Millennium Elementary School, which opened on August 30 2000, in Kent, Washington, may be the most environmentally friendly school. To begin with, it only received bids to build it electronically, saving stacks of paper and nearly $25,000, since all blueprints were created on CD-ROM. Though the geothermal heat pump cost almost $200,000 more than a gas or electric system, with lower maintenance and energy costs, the difference is expected to be paid off in about 20 years, about a third of the building's expected life span. The building's roof-mounted wind turbine and solar panels will be monitored to determine the effectiveness of solar and wind energy. If the system is cost-effective and successful, it will be used more widely in future projects. Millennium School also features a five-acre natural wetland, an underground storm water collection and reuse system for irrigation, and waterless urinals expected to save about 144,000 gallons of water each year

Creating "Green" Workplaces

Construction and remodeling of buildings are some of the largest contributors of nondecomposable and toxic waste in the world. The global building industry uses 3 billion tons, or 40 percent, of the raw materials taken from the planet every year. Moreover, the industry uses 40 percent of the world's energy for construction and building operations. In the United States, construction and remodeling accounts for 20 percent of the 221.7 million tons of daily trash. As a result, it is important to examine the following when looking at building materials.[7]

• Where and how is the material harvested?

• How was it manufactured or produced?

• How will it be used in the building process?

• What will happen to it once it is finished being used?

If possible, try to use building materials that have a high percentage of recycled content. Materials with recycled content have three advantages:

• They require less natural resource

• They create less material for the solid waste stream

• They use less energy during manufacturing.[8]

Some architects are trying to prevent IAQ problems by advising people to use low-toxicity formaldehyde-free building materials such as plywood from Finland. Though these materials may cost 10 percent to 35 percent more than ordinary building materials, they will not contribute to indoor air pollution.

Tips for Creating "Green" Workplaces

• Choose low-maintenance building materials. Where possible, select building materials that will require little maintenance such as painting and vinyl flooring. However, both of these may require high solvent touch-ups or cleaning.

• Use building products made from recycled materials: Recycled materials reduce solid waste problems, cut energy consumption in manufacturing and save on natural resources. A few examples of products with recycled materials are cellulose insulation, exterior sheathing, floor tile made from ground glass, and recycled plastic lumber. Using recycled plastic lumber can help to keep toxic plastics out of municipal dumps.

• Chooose a concrete made with fly ask Instead of standard cement concrete. Fly ash can replace 15 pecent to 30 percent of the cement used in concrete mix. Choosing a concrete that makes use of this by-product of coal-fired electric plants can reduce waste and pollution while limiting demand for cement.

• Avoid plastics, plastic coatings, and plastic foams that contain chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). Though CFCs have been phased out, their primary replacement, HCFCs, can also damage the ozone layer and should be avoided where possible.

• Design water-efficient, low-maintenance landscaping.

• Make sure the building is adaptable to other uses, and choose materials and components that can be reused or recycled in the future.

• Use certified wood products based on standards developed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to ensure that wood products come from well-managed forests. These will carry an FSC stamp. A few manufactured wood products, including engineered lumber and particleboard/MDF, can be included if they have other environmental advantages such as absence of formaldehyde binders.

• Make sure that the ventilation system is the proper size and type for the building and gives enough air exchanges. For example, in Philadelphia's Sheraton Rittenhouse Hotel, which calls itself the country's first "environmentally smart" hotel, 70 percent of each room's air is replaced every half-hour.[8]

• Look for alternative building materials and furnishings. Some examples include:

  • Alternatives to wood panel products: these can be made from wheat and soy fiber and may be used for furniture, cabinetry, door cores, kitchen countertops, partitions and underlayment

  • New composite materials: these are made from recycled paper, a soy-based resin and color additives that can be used as a decorative interior material. Applications include furniture, decorative wall panels, flooring and cabinetry.

  • A new Burl series, made from sunflower seed hulls, has the look of traditional burled woods, making it an environmental and economical alternative to hardwood.

  • Make sure that all materials are low-emitting and contribute low levels of formaldehyde and other pollutants to the indoor air.

  • Make sure all materials are resistant to mold growth under normal humidity conditions and ensure the building is designed, constructed and operated to prevent liquid water and water vapor intrusion.
    
    For all their strengths, these products have some limitations. They are not recommended in wet areas such as kitchens or bathrooms. In addition, they are only available unfinished.

• Green buildings should not stop at just the building materials and the furnishings. There should also be an on-going recycling program including buying and recycling cartridges for laser printers.

References

1. Griffin K. When your office calls in sick. Health. January/February 1993:78-82.

2. Holusha J. Tax Incentive Approved For 'Green' Buildings. New York Times. May 29, 2000:2B.

3. "Adding Up IAQ's Costs." Consulting-Specifying Engineer. 1997 Jan:42.

4. Allen JL. Office structures reflect a preference for "green" buildings. Chicago Tribune. July 28, 1999.

5. Cure found for sick building. Chicago Daily Herald. October 2, 2000:10.

6. Insulation materials: Environmental comparisons. Environmental Builders News. 1995 Jan/Feb;4(1):

7. Martin S. Green building: The right stuff. Mother Earth News. June/July 2000.

8. Gould KL. Biofiltration could become an effective means of combating poor indoor air quality. Architectural Record. 1999;187(10):214.

Additional Information

Environmental Building News: www.BuildingGreen.com

Green Design: www.greendesign.net

Low-emitting, healthy materials: www.greenguard.org

Builders Environmental News: www.nwbuildnet.com/nwbn/buildersenvironmentalnews.html

Green Building Source: www.oikos.com

Real Goods: www.realgoods.com

Links to many environmentally friendly companies may be found at the site: www.ecomall.com/greenshopping