Green architecture is increasing in popularity as more and more people realize the advantages of it.  Studies have been done to show that green buildings have positive effects on the environment and also on the people that live, work, and visit the buildings.  Green buildings are not significantly more expensive to produce then tradition architecture, especially when the complete costs of the building are looked at. 
Three Reasons Why To Go Green
    1. More environmentally friendly
    2. Healthier working environment
    3. Cheaper Long term costs
  
Environmentally Friendly  
    The environmental impacts alone should be a good enough reason to switch from traditional architecture to green architecture.  Green buildings utilize renewable resources that both conserve and drastically reduce energy costs.  A mediocre green building should have at least a 50% reduction in energy needs.  However, it is not an unreal expectation for a green building to have up to a 80-90% reduction in energy needs ( Stitt, 1999).  Common renewable energy sources that are used in conjunction with green buildings include, solar cells, passive solar heating, wind energy, and geothermal heating and cooling.  These types of renewable energy all drastically reduce the carbon emissions of green buildings, helping to limit the impact on greenhouse warming. 
     Green buildings also conserve water and use recycled building materials.  By conserving water, there is less pollution and less of a burden on water treatment plants.  Recycled materials help the environment by reducing mining activities and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills.
Healthier Working Environment
    Studies have also been done to demonstrate that the interior atmosphere of green buildings increases worker productivity.  Humans naturally perform more efficiently in a pleasing environment, studies have shown that green buildings increase productivity by 6-15%.  It also decreases the number of sick days and reduces stress levels in the work places by reducing hardness on eyes, creating more fresh air, better acoustics and a positive surrounding.  These factors alone save large companies millions of dollars throughout the course of a buildings life (Stitt, 1999). 
Cheaper Long Term Costs
    In the long term, green buildings are much cheaper to produce then conventional architecture.  The reason that they are often labeled as more expensive is because there is a need for more up-front money.  They cost more in the beginning to plan and produce, however throughout the life of the building they are much less expensive to run, and also more productive to work, study or shop in.  Therefore when looking at the total cost of a building it is important to look at the entire cost of a project and not just the up-front costs.  It is also known that costs for energy are going to continue to follow the current rising trends, in turn making conventional buildings more expensive. Green buildings are also more desirable to own, rent and work in, therefore they hold much of their retail values (Hagan, 2001).