Working in a green building feels good

One employee at the Environmental Protection Agency describes what it's like to work in a green building.

Thu, Feb 11 2010 at 12:31 PM EST

Photos: EPA

Most of my green building news is specific to the building’s themselves — energy efficiency, water conservation efforts, LEED certification, and so on. However, every now and then I run across some information about what it is like to work in a green building. Sure, studies have shown

that employees who work in a green and presumably healthier environment are happier and healthier. Wendy Dew, a longtime employee of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agrees and actually blogged about it for the EPA.

In her post, What Life is Like Working in a Green Building, Wendy says, “Working in a green building is the only way to work in my mind. I have more energy throughout the day which I attribute to the environmentally healthy aspects of our building. I have the pleasure of knowing my work day has also been less of an impact to the environment.” Source: Greenversations

Wendy works at the EPA’s Region 8 Headquarters in Denver, Colo. The building features a green roof, which serves two purposes: reducing the heat island effect and managing stormwater. The building also relies on windows and other measures to maximize natural lighting, uses low-flow plumbing, and sourced materials that have high recycled content. The building is also pursuing LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EB: O&M) Gold certification.

In addition to feeling more energetic while working in a green building and understanding that the building is better for the environment, Wendy is also thankful that the EPA is practicing what they preach by building green.