U.S.G.B.C.

In 1993, leaders from across the building industry convened for the first time and created the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Their objectives were to advance environmentally responsible building while promoting a healthy and profitable society (USGBC, “About”). Since their inception, USGBC has provided educational services and research capabilities to their 18,800+ member companies and organizations. Best known for transforming the built environment through their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification system, the LEED rating system has become the industrial standard for sustainable building practices across the country (ibid, “LEED”).
What the LEED rating system provides is a toolkit for the building industry to immediately measure the impact of their buildings performance. The LEED rating system designates points for meeting energy and environmental standards. The points determine which level of certification a project meets: Certified (26-32 pts.), Silver (33-38 pts.), Gold (39-51 pts.) or Platinum (52-69 pts.). Through a broad based industrial consensus process, five areas of building performance were identified as key to building efficiency: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality (ibid). The LEED rating system applies to new construction, renovations, interiors, schools, retail, hospitals, commercial and residential buildings. Recognized for its whole system approach to design, construction and operation of buildings, LEED certification grew out of the ideas first explored by Freeman and Lovins and have become the benchmark for sustainable development worldwide.