For LuAnn McHugh, vice present, real estate facilities for SAP America, LEED is a win-win proposition.

In a thorough and illuminating presentation (11 mb file) on the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program, SAP America's LuAnn McHugh said her stepdaughter's book report on Rachel Carson's Silent Spring was what inspired her own digging into how her daily work impacts the environment.

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction," wrote Carson in 1954. Today, one form that focus is taking is to see how far the envelope can be pushed in making office buildings environmentally sound. Everyone stands to benefit, as McHugh illustrated with these illuminating statistic: U.S. citizens spend around 90 percent of their time indoors, and 30 percent of landfilled material comes from office buildings.

"LEED is a program that truly brings about an opportunity for change in technology and in how we impact the environment," said McHugh. "You can make an impact on your organization. Many have adopted it for new buildings, many schools and universities are using LEED in building new buildings. Many are going to do it because they're required to reduce energy consumption. Some think it's just a status symbol, but I think it's more than that. It's a checklist, it's a standard. In this corporate world, LEED is a defined process for green practices. ‘Green' is great, but it's a gray process."

Lea Yaest, director of business development for planning, architecture, engineering and interior design firm Leo A. Daly in Dallas, Texas, was just one member of an SRO audience for the LEED workshop in Williamsburg.

Ultimately LEED will not only do concrete things like reduce absenteeism, but assist corporations in making good on the sustainability promises that are today so much a part of their public images and governance. It's simply a matter of how much responsibility each individual and each company is willing to take for the quality of life generations hence. At SAP headquarters, LEED-Gold is one way of expressing that responsibility. Aiming for LEED-Platinum is another.

While some may debate the various types of evidence when it comes to global warming and species extinction, there are certain numbers nobody can debate: In 1960 there were 259,000 office buildings, and in 2003, there were 824,000, a 69-percent increase. U.S. office buildings contribute 36 percent of total energy consumption and 65 percent of electricity consumption, contribute 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and use 5 billion gallons of potable water a day, or 12 percent of the total water available.

Since 2000, 2,000 buildings representing 45 million sq. ft. have become LEED certified. In addition to good PR, they're good HR: "Your employees want to come to an environment that's healthy and productive," she said. "Your customers care — We have a lot of RFPs that ask us if we use sustainable products. Salespeople come to me every day and ask these questions. If you're certified and can define it, it's a good way to tell your customers you're serious about this."

It can also have natural good consequences: McHugh spoke of Wal-Mart's finding that products displayed under skylights are selling better than products under fluorescent lighting.

Two buildings under development in New York City represent the best of LEED: Freedom Tower, and the Bank of America headquarters project.

Among the facets of LEED these and other projects pursue are fuel cell installation, sub-floor HVAC, "rolling daylight" lighting strategies and gray water usage for chilled water and landscaping. Green roofs are also increasingly popular. McHugh said they now only reduce imperviousness by 75 percent (thereby aiding watershed quality) but also insulate, in addition to extending the life of the roof's rubber membrane by shielding it from the sun.

So where's the money? McHugh said the increased attractiveness of the work environment can contribute a 7-percent mean productivity increase. Maintenance costs can come down by 5 percent. Meanwhile, the former cost premiums associated with installing LEED features have come down. And when your CFO asks you to save money, McHugh says energy consumption is a good place to start: LEED-Silver means a 30-percent reduction in energy consumption.

One questioner in the audience said green building can add up to 35 percent to initial costs, which he said are "impossible to get anyone to absorb." But the claim was countered by another corporate member, who said the extra cost was not nearly as steep when looked at from a life-cycle perspective. And when it comes to the cost of the certification itself, there is no shortage of justification — sometimes it even comes from the person you're supposed to be convincing.

"It cost about $160,000 to certify our headquarters, but it was justified, because customers are asking for it," said McHugh. "My CEO, when he heard we were going for gold, asked if there were a higher level, and said to go for it, because it's important from a PR and image standpoint, and it's also a benchmark.

"You are the leaders, you have the C-suite's ear, and you can inspire your leaders and employees to create a greener and safer environment for everyone," McHugh concluded.