Building Green for the Future - US Environmental Protection Agency

16 the green development spectrum
The Green Development Spectrum
The technologies and practices that comprise green
development represent various levels of effort and
impact. Within the Green Development Spectrum
on the opposite page, examples of green development
are qualitatively ranked by their relative complexity and
the degree of commitment typically required to pursue
them. Easy to implement practices with little cost and
effort are on the left end of the spectrum. At the other
end of the spectrum are those practices that require
greater financial investment, more commitment, or
are just more complex in nature.
IHM Motherhouse case study pg 76
Projects on the right side of the spectrum still result
in significant returns on investment, but may require
a longer investment horizon. Some of these examples
may have fewer tangible financial benefits, but clients
are often motivated to pursue them by less tangible
or more difficult to quantify benefits, such as:
• Positive environmental impacts
• Improved employee moral
• “Doing the right thing”