Page 73 - BWM March 2013

March 2013 | Business World Magazine | 73
to issue of healthier buildings. Platt says be-
yond the conservation of energy and water,
the buildings are not simply about the build-
ings, but the people who live or work in such
buildings. He says there has been data that
shows less instances of asthma and less types
of illness associated with better air quality, as
a byproduct of green buildings. “We want to
be more ambitious about creating healthier
environments... I think when we have more
data, we’ll be able to drive another economic
argument as well. After all, the cost of energy
per square foot of operation is substantial,
but nowhere near the significance of the cost
of square foot per human resource. Under-
standing that better is a real aspiration for
us... and moving forward, we’ll be working
with more medical professionals, universi-
ties, and hospitals,” says Platt.
Platt is particularly excited about thework
USGBC is doing to advance green schools.
Thus far, there are 32 states throughout
America where legislatures are promoting
greener practices for schools. A good educa-
tion is a critical component of our long-term
prosperity, says Platt, and investing in green
schools is good economics that will help our
next generation of leaders.