This guide describes the benefits of green building and dismisses the notion that building using green methods is more expensive than traditional methods. The goal of green building is to coordinate such interconnected issues as site and building design, energy and water efficiency, resource-efficient construction, lighting and mechanical design, and building ecology, and optimize all these aspects in an integrated design. This document describes case studies of successful green buildings such as large commercial buildings, urban redevelopment projects, educational centers, and more.