Firms taking 'green' path in workplace

Better environments bolster productivity


By Diane E. Lewis,Boston Globe



The US Green Building Council, which promotes renewable energy and environmentally sound construction, reported last month that US spending on green goods and services hit $7 billion in 2004, up 37 percent over 2003. Currently, there are 113 green offices in the country and 385 green buildings, with 3,073 more in development, the council said.

''Gradually, this shift is occurring in the workplace," said May Buckley Sadowski, professor of psychology at Connecticut College. ''Researchers are finding that if there is sunlight, there is less opportunity for depression. We also know that windows offer varying stimulation and allow you to refocus your energies."

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