When Toyota Motor Corp. moved one of its divisions into an
environmentally friendly, or "green", building in Torrance three years ago, it
expected to save on its energy bills. The building offered natural lighting,
electricity-generating rooftop solar panels and water recycling.
But something else also happened. Employee morale jumped while
absenteeism(旷工) fell. The overall energy and worker productivity savings more
than offset the added cost of making the facility environmentally friendly. "The
lighting is easier on the eyes and on the nerves," Toyota employee Mary Jo
Moutsios said. "I take a sense of pride in working in this building. It’s
pleasant and feels more productive. " Results like Toyota’s are
helping to spark a budding "green revolution" in American workplaces. The
movement is starting to change how office buildings are designed and could
render thousands of existing offices obsolete (陈旧的，荒废的).
Employers including Goldman, Sachs& Co., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and
Harley-Davidson Inc. are starting to ask for buildings with more natural light,
fresher air and fewer toxic materials in the paint, carpeting and other
finishes. Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and Chicago are among many cities
requiring new public buildings to be green. Municipalities are offering
incentives, such as faster construction approvals and reduced permit fees, to
get the private sector to follow suit. Although the green
movement is in its infancy, its endorsement (认可) by a growing number of
prestigious employers, developers and cities is seen as giving a shot in the arm
to the nation’s environmental movement as concern about the effects of global
warming and environmental pollution spread. More than $ 7.7
billion of office buildings nationwide are up for official green certification,
versus about $ 790 million in 2000. Among the more notable new green towers is
World Trade Center in New York, a 52-storey skyscraper that replaced a building
at the same address that was destroyed in the 2001 terrorist attacks. Although the green movement is still in its early age. it has been______.