More businesses are creating environmentally friendly workplaces. And as it turns out, environmentally friendly workplaces are as good for the planet as they are the bottom line.

REI is an outdoor clothing and adventure supplier. This is its east coast distribution center.  It uses a lot of electricity. But it's not as bad as it could be. Support Manager Tom Sydnor says, "This building is 15 percent cheaper to heat and cool than a standard building this size"

That's because it's Leed certified. It met strict environmental standards. Areas that aren't lit by skylights use automatic lights. They only come on when someone is working below.

Conveyor belts are weight sensitive. And three truckloads of cardboard are recycled each month. "If I have cardboard I can send boxes 3-5 times, get multiple uses, when its no longer useful, we're going to recycle it," added Sydnor.

To offset the facility’s footprint, the company created neighboring green space. It's there to handle water runoff.

Employees get better parking if they carpool or use efficient vehicles. And taking green ideas home is encouraged. “You see them do it in here, we make the effort any way we can in here so you carry it home and kids learn that. What better to have kids grow up to that," says Tina Lynn.

Customers also have a reason to be happy with REI. Energy is the number two expense right behind payroll. Keeping costs down means lower prices.

And REI has a big goal in sight. It hopes to create zero landfill waste by 2020.