Civil Society Calls for Greater Engagement in the UNEP Process

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UNEP Rio +20 Conference

“From Outcome to Implementation” – That was the theme of the first universal session of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Governing Council and Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF), which convened on Monday . The agenda for the meeting, open to all 193 UN member states for the first time, sought to create a framework for the implementation of the Rio+20 “The Future We Want” outcome document.

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D.C. Mayor Unveils Landmark Sustainability Plan, Creates Model for Other Cities to Follow

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“I remain fully committed to the goal I first stated in July of 2011, that we will make the District of Columbia the healthiest, greenest city in the nation…this is my promise to everyone.” – Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, February 20, 2013

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Taking a close look at the federal government’s spending on real estate

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Photo credit: SGA

The following is a guest post by Alex Dodds, Online Communications Manager at Smart Growth America.

The biggest real estate investor in the United States isn’t Donald Trump, and it’s not a private equity firm.

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LEED v4 Public Comment: Refining the system

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We want to thank you for your contribution to the development of LEED v4. With the ballot only four months away, we are taking every moment to make sure the rating systems are fully usable and the program has been thoroughly tested.

The last step in the development process is one final public comment period, open March 1 – March 31, 2013. This comment period will focus on refinement (both in the credit language and in calculations) and provides the public with one last chance to give feedback on the system before the member vote in June.

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New Policy Brief Highlights the Federal Government’s Success with LEED

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Photo credit: wallyg via flikr

There sure has been a lot of talk about the federal government’s use of LEED lately.

Last week, the National Research Council released a report that reaffirmed what we’ve been saying all along—that LEED makes good economic sense. They recommended that the Department of Defense should require its new buildings or major renovations to be designed to achieve at least LEED Silver certification.

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Building Benchmarking: The Next Big Thing

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Central Minneapolis across the Mississippi River. Photo credit: kla4067 via flik

Recently, the city of Minneapolis became the latest city to lead by example in improving building performance by requiring the benchmarking and disclosure of energy and water usage for the city’s public and commercial building stock. USGBC supports benchmarking initiatives through the Mainstream Building Benchmarking Campaign and applauds the city’s move.

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Military Facilities Reap Huge Benefits From Using LEED, Says Independent Study

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LEED Platinum Community Emergency Services Station. Photo credit: U.S. Army Corp

New research confirms LEED helps the government save
taxpayers money and meet environmental objectives

Washington, D.C. – (Feb. 15, 2013) – Today the Department of Defense released the findings of an independent report on energy efficiency and sustainability standards used by the Pentagon for military construction. The report strongly affirmed the value of LEED-certified high performing buildings to America’s military and U.S. taxpayers.

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