Go green, stay healthy, boost productivity in the legal department

Here are some findings about the health benefits of an environmentally sound offices. Not that general counsel have much say as to their office environs, but a first step is to know more about options and benefits. Bus. Week, Dec. 7, 2009 at 15, describes a large study of tenants in buildings that have been awarded EPA Energy Star labels or LEED certification. "The survey found that employees took an average 2.9 fewer sick days each year in their environmentally sound offices than in their previous, nongreen workplaces -- a cost savings to their employers of roughly $1,200 per worker, based on average salaries.”

The study also found that a bit more than half of the tenants reported a rise in employee productivity in their green digs -- "adding up to 5% average increase worth $5,000 per worker annually." Mens sana in corpore sano de aedficio sano?