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 U.S. Green Building Council

 

 

USGBC Chapter National Style.pngHeadquartered in Washington, DC, the U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future
for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.  With a community comprising 78 local affiliates,
more than 20,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 131,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, the USGBC
is the driving force of an industry that is projected to soar to $60 billion by 2010.  The USGBC leads a diverse constituency
of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent water consumption and 15 percent of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity.  Greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future US demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.


Pix -- USGBC headquarters 4.jpgThe 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 images on this webpage are of the USGBC headquarters, photo credit to Eric Laignel.)


Think that green building isn't taking off?  Check out the following (from the USGBC's "Green Building by the Numbers", January 2009):

  • The value of green building construction is projected to
    increase to $60 billion by 2010.Pix -- USGBC headquarters 3.jpg (Source: McGraw-Hill
    Construction 2008; Key Trends in the US and European Construction Marketplace, SmartMarket Report)
  • The construction market accounts for 13.4% of the
    $13.2 trillion U.S. GDP. (Source: Department of Commerce 2008; Annual Value of Construction Put in Place)
  • By 2009, 82% of corporate America is expected to be greening at least 16% of their real estate portfolios; of these companies, 18% will be greening more than 60% of their real estate portfolios. (Source: McGraw Hill Construction 2007, Greening of Corporate America SmartMarket Report, 2007)
  • The green building products market is projected to be
    worth $30-$40 billion annually by 2010. (Source: Green
    Building Alliance 2006;     Green Building Products: Positioning
    Southwestern Pennsylvania as the U.S. Manufacturing Center    )

Facts regarding the USGBC

Membership:

  • 18,086 member organizations including corporations, governmental agencies, nonprofits and others from throughout the industry.
  • Since 2000, USGBC’s membership has more than quadrupled.

 

LEED Green Building Certification System

  • The LEED for New Construction rating system was first released in 2000.
  • LEED for Commercial Interiors and Existing Buildings became available in 2004.
  • LEED for Core & Shell became available in July 2006 for spec developments.
  • LEED for Homes was launched in December 2007.
  • LEED for Neighborhood Development, Retail and Healthcare are currently in pilot test.
  • Over 5 billion square feet of commercial building space is involved with the LEED green building certification system. 
  • By 2010, approximately 10% of commercial construction starts are expected to be green, according to McGraw Hill Green Building Smart Market Report 2006.
  • Every business day, $464 million worth of construction registers with LEED.
  • There are LEED projects in all 50 states and 91 countries.
  • Owners of LEED-registered and certified projects represent a diverse cross-section of the industry. 

Pix -- USGBC headquarters 1.jpg

Education and Accreditation

  • LEED workshop attendance -- 92,078
  • LEED Accredited Professionals -- 77,434
  • Greenbuild Attendees 2008 -- 28,224
  • Greenbuild Attendees 2007 -- 22,835
  • Greenbuild Attendees 2006 -- 13,382 

 

Size and Impact of the U.S. Built Environment

  • Construction yields an annual output of U.S. $4.6 trillion, contributing to 8-10% of the global Gross Domestic Product encompassing a workforce of 120 million people and billions of transactions each day.  (Source: McGraw-Hill Construction 2008; Key Trends in the US and European Construction Marketplace, SmartMarket Report)
  • Comprises 13.4% of the $13.2 trillion U.S. GDP.  This includes all commercial, residential, industrial and infrastructure construction.  Commercial and residential building construction constitutes 16.1% of the GDP.   (Source: Department of Construction 2008.  Annual Value of Construction Put in Place)

 

Energy consumption

  • Buildings represent 38.9% of U.S. primary energy use (includes fuel input for production).  (Source: Environmental Information Administration 2008; EIA Annual Energy Outlook)
  • Buildings are one of the heaviest consumers of natural resources and account for a significant portion of the greenhouse gas emissions that affect climate change.  In the U.S., buildings account for 38% of all CO2 emissions.  (Source: Energy Information Administration 2008: Assumptions to the Annual Energy Outlook)

 

Electricity consumption

  • Buildings represent 72% of U.S consumption.  (Source: Environmental Information Administration (2008). EIA Annual Energy Outlook)

 

Water use

  • Buildings use 13.6% of all potable water, or 15 trillion gallons per year.  (Source:  U.S. Geological Survey 2000, 2000 data)

 

Materials use

  • Buildings use 40% of raw materials globally (3 billion tons annually).  (Source:  Lenssen and Roodman, 1995, Worldwatch Paper 124: A Building Revolution: How Ecology and Health Concerns are Transforming Construction, Worldwatch Institute)

 

Waste

  • The EPA estimates that 136 million tons of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris was generated in the U.S. in a single year.  (Source:  .S. Environmental Protection Agency 1997. U.S. EPA Characterization of Building-Related Construction and Demolition Debris in the United States)
  • Compare that to 209.7 million tons of municipal solid waste generated in the same year.  (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (1997).  Characterization of Municipal Solid Waste in the United States. Report No. EPA 530/R-98-007)

 

Sectors Expected to Have Green Building Growth (Source: McGraw Hill Construction 2007)

  • • Education 
  • Government 
  • Institutional 
  • Office 
  • Healthcare 
  • Hospitality 
  • Retail 
  • The three largest segments for nonresidential green building construction -- office, education and health care -- will account for more than 80% of total nonresidential green construction in 2008.  (Source: FMI’s 2008 U.S. Construction Overview)

 

What’s Driving Green Building (Source: FMI’s 2008 U.S. Construction Overview)

These factors are expediting the growth of green building:

  • Unprecedented level of government initiatives.
  • Heightened residential demand for green construction.
  • Improvements in sustainable materials.

 

USGBC South Florida Chapter

Our South Florida Chapter has seen similar impressive growth, as evidenced by these statistics:

South Florida Chapter Members

  • December 31, 2003 -- 2
  • December 31, 2004 -- 29
  • December 31, 2005 -- 175
  • December 31, 2006 -- 280
  • December 31, 2007 -- 425
  • December 31, 2008 -- 674
  • June 15, 2009 -- 873

LEED Registered Buildings in South Florida

  • 2006 -- 39
  • 2007 -- 64
  • 2008 -- 182
  • 2009 -- 344 ... which is broken out thusly: New Construction (204); Core and Shell (63); Commercial Interiors (29); Existing Building (25); LEED Schools (17); LEED Homes (6)

South Florida's LEED Buildings / Growth of Green Building in South Florida
The South Florida Chapter's President, Kyle Abney, recently gave a well-received talk in Miami focused on the two topics above.  Afterward, he pulled out of the talk these two pdfs with information as of June 2009:  1) South Florida's LEED Buildings; and 2) Growth of Green Building in South Florida.