Earth & Environment - Posted by Andy Henion-Michigan State on Thursday, September 16, 2010 10:49 - 2 Comments 
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(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5) Loading ...Green offices keep workers in the pink
Moving to 'green' office buildings, decreased the incidents of employees calling in sick and improved productivity. (Credit: iStockphoto)
MICHIGAN STATE (US)—Workers who moved from conventional office buildings to environmentally friendly “green” buildings said they called in sick less often and were more productive, according to a new study.
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The text of this article by Futurity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License.
Researchers at Michigan State University looked at two case studies and found that moving to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings contributed to noticeable reductions in self-reported absenteeism and stress.
Workers’ productivity also improved, as a result of perceived improvements in health and well-being.
The study appears in the online version of the American Journal of Public Health.
“These preliminary findings indicate that green buildings may positively affect public health,” the researchers write.
LEED is a designation by the U.S. Green Building Council for buildings with environmentally friendly design, construction practices and operation.
The research team includes Amanjeet Singh, a former MSU master’s student; Matt Syal, professor of planning, design and construction; Sue Grady, assistant professor of geography; and Sinem Korkmaz, assistant professor of planning, design and construction.
More news from Michigan State University: http://news.msu.edu/
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2 Comments
minckler
Although the result is not suprising, i would like to know if this study included a double blind – that is, i know many buildings are built to green standards but not certified. Is it the perception of certification itself that makes a difference?
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This makes sense. A LEED building, by definition, would have less in the way of hidden molds, fungus, allegens and so on. This means the people are not exposed to these potential health problems.