'Going green" has evolved beyond a trendy catchphrase - it has paid financial dividends and has often helped bridge the generational gap at CPA firms. As more firms start to incorporate environmentally friendly initiatives into the workplace, many have shown noticeable results in terms of reduced expenses and overhead, while younger employees have often been the primary drivers of those greening strategies.

Such was the case at Campbell, Calif.-based Mohler, Nixon & Williams.

Bill Kelleher, the firm's chief executive, was asked repeatedly by entry-level staff members, as well as new recruits, about the firm's green initiatives. Though the firm was successful at implementing some eco-friendly strategies, he admitted that they could be doing more.

Enter what Kelleher described as the catalyst: the hiring of Vicky Gardner, a young tax accountant, who asked about the firm's policies regarding recycling and paper use.

"In her very nice way, Vicky was challenging some of the things we were doing," Kelleher said. "It was our entry-level people [who were] asking some really good questions."

The firm has since tackled a number of greening activities. It created the "Mean Green Accounting Machine," a green committee made up of employees from all levels in the firm. It applied for certification as a Bay Area Green Business, handed out recyclable tote bags, distributed a monthly newsletter with eco-friendly tips, added more glassware to the kitchen in lieu of paper cups, installed four energy-efficient dishwashers, and hosted e-waste days so staff could get rid of electronic junk.

Employees were also at the root of greening DiCicco, Gulman & Co. LLP in Woburn, Mass. Green ideas were already being implemented; however, management realized that many staff suggestions were not being tapped into, and the firm formed a green committee to capture all of them, according to Kathy Charles, the firm's scheduling manager and chair of the green committee. The majority of the group's members are under the age of 35. "When somebody is coming to look at a firm [for employment], they aren't just looking for, 'Is it a good place to work?'" she said. "They want to know what you do for the community. How are you trying to fit better in the environment? Those pieces have been a big selling point with a lot of candidates."

One of the first projects the team tackled was finding a more environmentally friendly coffee vendor service. All conference rooms have reminders to turn off lights and for common areas that don't have constant traffic, motion detector lights have been installed.

Claire Woolley, vice president of Chicago-based Howard Ecker + Co., a brokerage firm that helps commercial office tenants find new office space, sees a growing number of companies interested in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, buildings, where a ranking system provides a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

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