The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. Transforming the way we build, design and operate our buildings will provide healthier places for people to live, work, learn and play in, as well as save precious resources.
The nonprofit organization is helping create buildings and communities that will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Council is the driving force of the green building industry, which is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product by 2013.
The USGBC, headed by founding CEO and President Rick Fedrizzi (see below), leads a diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials, concerned citizens, teachers and students ... and more. The USGBC community comprises 80 local Chapters, 17,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 155,000 individuals who have earned LEED Professional Credentials. Visit www.usgbc.org for more information.
Ours is a fact-based constituency. Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future US demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.
USGBC Educational Programs
USGBC Education provides the information and tools for training effective, qualified and competitive green building professionals who are implementing LEED projects or pursuing a LEED professional credential. USGBC Education helps build a solid foundation of LEED and green building knowledge by offering personalized lifelong learning pathways in a variety of formats, from instructor-led workshops to online courses and live and on-demand Webinars.
The USGBC is the primary source for LEED and green-building education, both for building and design practitioners to learn more about implementing LEED into their projects and for aspiring LEED AP candidates. To learn more about USGBC Educational Programs visit www.usgbc.org/education.
Guiding Principles
The USGBC is deeply rooted within six guiding principles that are incorporated into all aspects of the organization:
~ Promote the Triple Bottom Line -- The USGBC will pursue robust triple bottom line solutions that clarify and strengthen a healthy and dynamic balance between environmental, social and economic prosperity.
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~ Establish Leadership -- The USGBC will take responsibility for both revolutionary and evolutionary leadership by championing societal models that achieve a more robust triple bottom line.
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Reconcile Humanity with Nature -- The USGBC will endeavor to create and restore harmony between human activities and natural systems.
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~ Maintain Integrity -- The USGBC will be guided by the precautionary principle in utilizing technical and scientific data to protect, preserve and restore the health of the global environment, ecosystems and species.
~ Ensure Inclusiveness -- The USGBC will ensure inclusive, interdisciplinary, democratic decision-making with the objective of building understanding and shared commitments toward a greater common good.
~ Exhibit Transparency -- The USGBC shall strive for honesty, openness and transparency.
The USGBC’s outstanding website is a treasure trove of green-building information. Visit this site to learn how to certify your green building, join the USGBC, sign up for courses and workshops, purchase LEED reference guides, register for the annual Greenbuild Conference, sign up for e-newsletters, learn how to become a LEED AP … and much, much more.
(As a related aside to the work of the USGBC, the South Florida Chapter is proud to state that the USGBC headquarters in Washington, DC, achieved LEED Platinum Certification in 2009. To learn more about this achievement, click here. The image at left is lobby at USGBC headquarters (photo credit to Eric Laignel).
