I do a lot of calculating and analyzing decisions and financials. I was wondering if anyone else has done so, and if yes, what have you figured your ROI (return on investment) for all of your green initiatives?

It can get difficult as I know to calculate in things that are purely ethical and have no financial return, so just tell us how you figured those things in.

I don't think I could really come up with an ROI for all of my green decisions. Some of them are synergistic with other decisions and others require some maintenance input. I can do things individually, but that belies the actual payback which could be shorter than the longest individual ROI.

I hadn't thought about the payback synergies. Now my calcs are all questionable.

I think that the non-financial paybacks that most people talk about with increased air quality and reduction in use of petrochemicals can actually have a hidden cost savings. I have NO clue how you would calculate all of that, but the biggest of those would be savings on healthcare expenses. How many dollars can one household save by not exposing themselves to VOCs and how much can we save as a country be improving air quality in our communities?

It doesn't always have to be an upfront return on financial investment to really pay back to the bottom line.

Return on investment should not be the controlling factor in a decision to go green. This attitude is at the detriment to the environment. If everyone has to make money from going green, then it will be too late by the time we all figure out how to make it work.

The biggest ROI for going green is sustaining the species. If we don't do it, then we will be stuck living in the harsh environments of a degraded ecosystem. People need to do what they can within their budgets, but give up on the idea of making money. This is just a way right now to make people interested, but it teaches the wrong thing. I allows the market and money to control the world rather than attitudes about a truly sustainable life.

ROI is going to become less and less important as the market begins to recognize the value of energy saving and green options in a home. You can get a premium on your house with some of these features. Of course things like FSC flooring, low VOC paints, recycled content materials, etc are hard to recoup your money even in resale but as far as technologies like solar, geothermal, high efficiency appliances, etc will help raise the resale value of your home.

Posted By archdesigns on 22 Feb 2010 10:33 PM
ROI is going to become less and less important as the market begins to recognize the value of energy saving and green options in a home. You can get a premium on your house with some of these features. Of course things like FSC flooring, low VOC paints, recycled content materials, etc are hard to recoup your money even in resale but as far as technologies like solar, geothermal, high efficiency appliances, etc will help raise the resale value of your home.

I see what you are saying here, but I just don't see people making investments that don't pay back over a short period of time. We have created a marketplace in housing that focuses on the worth of a home and right now many sustainable choices have questionable returns both immediate and over time. It would be nice if the market would stray from bedrooms, bathrooms and square footage as primary pricing factors, but I just don't see it in the market.

I make so many green purchases and decisions that have no definable ROI. Its not about that for me. Its about improving my quality of life and that of my future children and grandchildren. I don't think it all has to be about the money.