The success of the LEED green building rating systems in driving amazing amounts of green building activity, driving focus on a broader spectrum of human and environmental health issues and driving leadership in achieving a more sustainable future has created space for many other conversations to take place – from the bleeding edge to the minimum code level.
Blog
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2011-2012 USGBC Students National Chairs Selected
We would like to congratulate the 12 leaders who will work with USGBC National to grow the USGBC Students program.
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LEED Consultants Fore-Solutions Encourage Engagement with the Center for Green Schools
A recent article on Fore-Solutions.com, Maine-based consultants for high-performance green buildings, had great things to say about the Center for Green Schools. Our local chapter work, mission, Research to Practice Program and GIS mapping system are some of the highlights. Check out the full article here.
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New Report: Better Buildings = 114,000 New Jobs
Today USGBC, with our partners at the Real Estate Roundtable and the Natural Resources Defense Council, released an analysis conducted by the Political Economy Research Institute that concludes that President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative (BBI) will create over 114,000 jobs.
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USGBC Supported Legislation Highlighted in Senate Energy Hearing
Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee continued its efforts to craft energy legislation that can gain bipartisan support in the Senate by hearing testimony on key green building and efficiency legislation.
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Pinpointing the Best Stringency Level for a Green Construction Code
In my last post I gave a very simple answer to the question, “How stringent should a first-ever model green construction code be?” In sum, the answer is that it should be above current code (but not too far), fully recognizing that these decisions will be the result of important community discussions (like this very in-depth and continually evolving conversation in New York City
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Building Industry and Environmentalists to Congress: This is How to Encourage Better Buildings
A few weeks ago USGBC, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Real Estate Roundtable, spearheaded the development of a letter sent to several key Senators on proposed changes to the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial facilities, as put forth by President Obama as a component of the Better Buildings Initiative.
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Learning to Speak Green: Urban Green Council Conference Highlights Successful Green Messaging
Ever feel tongue tied when you are out there advocating for green buildings?
How do you explain the environmental, health and financial benefits of green buildings to the media? To your mom? What about to a local union rep, or a school teacher? What kind of story do you tell?
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Education Week Features New Report on Green Schools from USGBC and AIA
In the latest issue of Education Week , American education’s newspaper of record, Katie Ash reports on the benefits of green schools to budgets and students. “Local Leaders in Sustainability: Special Report from Sundance,” which came out this month and highlights green schools benefits and a five-point plan of action for local leaders to green schools in their communities, is featured along with co-authors Vice President of National Policy at USGBC Jason Hartke and Director of Local Relations at the American Institute of Architects Brooks Rainwater.