More efficient, sustainable technologies are redefining how corporations around the world build their offices and headquarters. More corporations from nearly every industry are adopting eco-conscious technologies as they realize the potential energy savings of greener alternatives and the approval of customers and employees alike.

Trends in sustainable architecture include technologies such as renewable energy, with solar and wind power as the typical drivers. Companies are also including LED lighting, natural heating and cooling designs where air conditioning won't be a cost burden, interior designs that incorporate natural and holistic themes, sustainable materials, water recycling, and an office layout more conducive to movement on foot (as opposed to energy-intensive conveyances like escalators or elevators).

Corporations want to integrate socially responsible investments into their plans, leaving less of an environmental footprint while also benefiting from the economic gains of being more energy efficient.

Major corporate players are leading the trend. Apple (AAPL  ), for instance, recently boasted that their new headquarters will be the greenest building in world.

Apple's new, iconic headquarters, dubbed the "Spaceship," built just a few miles from its previous home, features one of the largest on-site solar installations in the world, and will be powered completely by renewable energy. Apple also says it will be the largest naturally-ventilated building in the world, meaning it won't need air conditioning or heating for most of the year.

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Consumers are shifting their money away towards environmentally friendly products and businesses. But it's not only about projecting an eco-friendly image to consumers or showing off the newest technology. There are real economic incentives for companies to shift towards sustainable power sources. The cost of using energy-intensive technologies, along with higher utility prices, are making businesses more open to a shift towards greener practices to generate large energy savings.

Apple is not the only contender in shifting towards greener technologies within their headquarters: several other large companies are doing so both in the U.S. and abroad, as they realize the benefits of refining their real estate portfolios to save on energy.

JPMorgan (JPM  ), for instance, signed a contract as part of a broader $200 million investment in technologies and services intended to reduce JPMorgan's carbon footprint across more than 75 million square feet of real estate in 60 countries. Their real estate team has crafted a strategy that centers around their company's commercial office buildings, with innovative technologies focused on a cloud-based system for managing heating, air conditioning, and lighting in strategic locations within the offices. It is becoming one of the largest LED lighting installations around the world, and will cut in half the costs normally associated with lighting-related energy consumption.

This trend is not only good for companies. A shift to more sustainable practices will be required for a healthier global future, as countries continue to look for ways to lessen their carbon footprint and create an environmentally responsible society.