The green movement for protection of the environment continues to spread its impact worldwide. It has definitely managed to influence various sectors of society, as well as different industries and businesses. Organizations and companies nowadays are promoting the green methods and implementing innovative ways of work, in order to preserve the environment.  One of the examples of an industry going green is the real estate industry, in which many developers have adopted the green construction of buildings. Their focus is on the use of eco-friendly materials for construction and creating buildings which promote energy efficiency. The most common examples is the growing popularity of LED and fluorescent lights, the implementation of glass windows which block the ultra violet rays, the use of heating systems producing less carbon emissions and others.

More and more green efforts are observed in the self-storage industry as well. This is a result of the increasing costs of oil and utility. The green construction requires a rather big investment in the beginning, but it ensures lots of benefits in the long term. The lifetime savings which come from utilizing green technologies are 10 times more than the first investment. One such example is using LED lights. The prices of these lights have gone down and lots of self-storage businesses are implementing them, knowing that their return on the investment will be considerable. Moreover, these LED bulbs last much longer than standard ones.

Another green technology which is being implemented by many self-storage facilities is the use of solar panels. These are usually fitted for larger units which accommodate boats and recreational vehicles. The cost of the solar panels has also decreased in the past few years and it's no doubt that even more businesses will invest in them. One of the benefits of using solar panels is the incentives from government programs to businesses. Moreover, green buildings are usually a priority when it comes to the permitting process. A project involving green technologies takes shorter to be approved of than one which doesn't. Self-storage facilities developers have a few aims when it comes to going green. First of all, they want to raise awareness about the problems of the environment and what everyone can do to help preserve it. Second of all, they want to make sure that potential investors are informed of the costs savings when using green construction - this is an investment with a lifetime return which is safer and eco-friendly. Third of all, they know that raising awareness on the regulations and incentives of the government when implementing green constructions is the key to more investment. With the emergence of many green self-storage facilities people who actually insist on eco-friendly storage are satisfied and more willing to use a storage unit. A green self-storage facility could charge a higher monthly fee, but when it's for a good cause many people would agree to those costs. Moreover, the packing materials which self-storage companies provide should be of recycled material too. The green trend is only beginning to gain popularity and it hasn't reached its full potential, but hopefully with more businesses willing to invest in green technologies and methods, individuals will eventually come to realize that this is the way to preserve nature and people's health. Enjoying a clean environment with less harmful emission and waste is not a dream, but a reality, and self-storage businesses are making it happen, setting up an example for many other industries.