Green Construction Saves Money and Energy

This was a short article discussing reality green building from a home builder's prospective.
The article's author started out by using one of the builders quotes that points out how many skeptics of green building are feeling. It reads: "a lot of people, I think, think green construction's gonna be an old VW bus with a piece symbol on the side of it - and the tree-huggers" Prior to working in the construction industry, I would have agreed with the skeptics. Now however, I understand that green building focuses on more than just being environmentally friendly, it's also about being user friendly and efficient.
I found the article interesting because it does a good job of explaining this and it does it with a minimal amount of writing.
After reading the article, do you feel that green construction is a good practice or is it another fad? This is a question that I have heard all sort of answers to and am always curious to hear what people have to say about it.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18422485/ns/nightly_news/