Green Project Management is more than just the incorporation of using renewable energy resources in your project; it also has to be sustainable. The words green and sustainable must be interchangeable in a project for it to truly be of benefit to the environment, and future generations.
As a selling point to the stakeholders of a project, you must show them a financial reason in the business case for them to accept this new point of view. In most instances, the start up costs of going green is more but the long run, they save money. That is the key selling point to those that are financing your project.
For a project to be considered a green project, it must have no negative impact on the environment. A great example of a sustainable energy source that is not green is the Three Gorges Dam project in China. While the hydroelectric energy is very green, the impact to the area that is now underwater in the creation of the necessary reservoir the plant needs, is not. This new lake displaced thousands of people and destroyed thousands of acres of fertile farm ground.
When attempting to make your project that uses an unsustainable energy source greener, your approach can be twofold. Not only is the use of a sustainable energy source considered green, but also increasing the efficiency in which your project uses energy. Both are considered green.