By gaining control over water use, companies help protect a precious resource, reduce runoff pollution and comply with new conservation legislation. Saving water also has a powerful multiplier effect by reducing the vast amount of energy expended in transporting it.

Starwood will launch in July a green hotel brand called ELEMENT that will only use LEED guidelines. More than 20 hotels could open by the end of next year.

As existing buildings become more efficient and new buildings are designed to have a much smaller impact, the green building industry is growing rapidly, from $12 billion in revenues last year to more than $42 billion by 2015, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan, and LEED is the certification of choice for that industry, although it faces some obstacles to continued success.

Cost is the perennial barrier to green corporate investments in energy efficiency, but a new approach from Economist Jerry Jackson, the author of "Energy Budgets at Risk," can help companies evaluate these expenditures using tools created by the financial industry.

The benefits of leasing transactions for roof-mounted systems are growing because installation costs are becoming more attractive, due in part to various state rebate programs and the increasing cost of electrical energy.

This report from Dovetail Partners looks at how the storage of carbon within wood products and the low energy and fossil fuel intensity of wood products has been ignored by policy analysts.

The outdoor retailer's 2007 Stewardship Report finds a range of improvements in overall environmental performance and reporting, although it also highlights areas for improvement in reducing emissions and supply chain auditing.

All of the 13 largest U.S. homebuilders have taken up green building practices, but even though some are doing much more than others, there is no standout sustainable homebuilder, according to a new report.

Nearly three-quarters of landscape architects said in a recent survey that their clients are very interested in sustainable issues. Top issues relate to water, energy efficiency, accreditation, habitat and green roofs.

Through a partnership with the National Governors Association, the "Greening State Capitols" program will provide energy audits in 20 U.S. state capitols to identify ways in which they can reduce energy consumption.

Area governments and business plan to improve the energy efficiency of more then 400 buildings, with investments from government topping $170 million.

When companies recycle e-waste, they need to ensure that every stage of the recycling process is set up appropriately, from where the waste is sent to how it's processed. But the effort is worth it. Aside from helping the environment, proper e-waste disposal can be a revenue stream and protect a company's work.

Their purposes vary -- schools, condominiums, even a non-profit headquarters -- but their sustainable architecture and green building innovations scored 10 projects from across the country a nod from the American Institute of Architects.

RREEF North America, part of Deutsche Bank, has taken up the voluntary 7-Point Challenge of commercial real estate environmental goals.

The most energy-efficient businesses in the U.S. can consume a third less energy than a more conventional company. By arming themselves with knowledge about the financial benefits of sustainability upgrades, facility managers can make these efficiency programs an easy sell.

Because the Clinton Climate Initiative is taking a very practical approach to addressing climate change through building energy efficiency, it presents an opportunity for companies to learn vital lessons about implementing energy efficiency programs in their own facilities.

We've been working long hours behind the scenes to make GreenBiz.com and our sister sites even more useful and information-packed. At last, here it is, and here's what new and improved about the sites.

More than 200 Target stores have been fitted with submetering systems so building managers can closely monitor how energy is used throughout their facilities.

The company's GreenStar initiative will push Vestar toward the development of LEED-certified retail spaces. Vestar is currently testing LEED guidelines for the retail sector as part of a pilot program.

Made famous in the Discovery Channel show, "American Choppers," Orange County Choppers is now housed in a 92,000 square-foot building that sports exterior glazing upgrades, daylight harvesting, variable air volume system, efficient rooftop HVAC equipment, efficient lighting and demand-based garage exhaust, among other features

The U.S. Green Building Council has given awards and grants to identify and support green building classes at all education levels.

Cree, a maker of LED lighting supplies, has gathered universities that are working on LED installations to show the savings they can provide and encourage their use.

A look at the current state of green homebuilding: who is leading, who is lagging and what they can all do to make homebuilding more sustainable.

The second annual Green Business Conference takes place in Chicago this month; in advance of the gathering GreenBiz Radio sat down with Denise Hamler, director of Co-Op America's green business programs, to learn how the world of green business has grown.

A reference giving on an overview of LEED-New Construction and step-by-step explanations of how to apply it to projects.