One of the trends that is becoming expected in new facility construction is incorporating environmental friendly & sustainable features. LEED certification is the standard for building environmentally friendly facilities. One recent new stadium to get certified LEED Gold is the new 49ers football stadium. Read about it here:

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. In order to receive LEED certification, building projects must satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. Levi's Stadium achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies aimed at achieving high performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, and maintenance enhancements. LEED Gold status is earned by accumulating 60 to 79 points on the rating system and Levi's Stadium had registered a total of 60 upon evaluation of its operations and maintenance.

1. From strictly a business perspective, does it make financial sense to become LEED certified?
2. What are the financial pros and cons of this that would go into your decision making?
3. How could you figure your return on investment from the cost of certification & all the state of the art equipment needed?