This article is co-authored by Joel Ann Todd, chair of the LEED Steering Committee from 2009 through 2013, and Susan Kaplan, President and Founder of BuildingWrx. USGBC’s recent move to release new social equity LEED credits marks an important step toward fulfilling its organizational goal of using green buildings to enhance the lives of all people in all buildings. The credits have been designed to address social equity from the perspective of everyone who is touched or...

This article is the fourth installment in a series of tips and best practices for making your home more sustainable. Check out the first article on behavioral changes you can make to live greener at home, the second article on programmable thermostats, and the third article on energy-efficient lighting. Here's a little piece of green building trivia for you: energy use in homes, buildings and industry account for roughly two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., according to...

Globally, so many communities face multidimensional threats, hazards, and disasters. And, as social and economic loss from these impacts continues to increase, development with a renewed focus on sustainability and resilience can offer opportunities for mitigating the financial, environmental, and community impacts from these events. Communities continue to advocate for increased sustainability and resilience, and the American Concrete Institute (ACI)—working with nearly 20,000 members,...

When you think of Thanksgiving, you probably picture family, turkey, stuffing and perhaps football. Those are the first things that come to mind for me as well. When you think of Thanksgiving, you probably also think about the things you are grateful for, and this Thanksgiving I'm giving thanks for the space where I work: the LEED for Commercial Interiors Platinum Certified USGBC Headquarters. Here's my LEED-certified Thanksgiving list: 1. EQ credits 8.2 | Daylight and views –...

The two sustainability leaders become partners of the United Nations’ Sustainable Energy for All Initiative’s Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform LIMA - (Dec. 5, 2014) – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced today that it has joined the Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform, along with the Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE). The Global Energy Efficiency Accelerator Platform is a program of U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s...

Ho Chi Minh City is a place where lessons of culture, history and our global economy are woven into its very fabric. I’m here with UTC Building & Industrial Systems as a part of its fourth annual Distinguished Sustainability Lecture Series, and while I’m here to talk about LEED and USGBC to a mix of current and aspiring sustainability experts I’m amazed by how much this city and these people are teaching me about the interplay between sustainability and manufacturing. Here...

The LEED Core Concepts Guide is now available in Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Portuguese. The LEED Core Concepts Guide introduces the green building fundamentals to get you started on your learning path. This edition features updates based on LEED v4, the newest version of the LEED green building program. Get your translated LEED Core Concepts Guide at a special discounted rate: Member Price: US$70 $35 (50% off) or Non-Member Price: US$85 $42.50 (50% off). Purchase the Spanish-...

For Thanksgiving this year, we're feeling thankful for all that you do to support our movement. Our transformation of the built environment is made possible because of you. We're also celebrating the holiday with gratitude for the bountiful supply of tools that we can use to make our built environment sustainable. There are plenty of 'em! And finally, we'd like to introduce our new Thanksgiving mascot. Proudly presenting: Tom, the recycled materials Turkey; he's dancing for joy over how well...

What exactly is work-life balance? Work–life balance is often understood as the prioritizing between "work" (career and ambition) and "lifestyle" (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development/meditation). We live in a world full of schedules, meetings and deadlines, and so we thought it would be interesting to hear from a some of the USGBC team about how they prioritize work and lifestyle to make it all work. Roger Platt, President “It’s important to know your...

In this recurring monthly feature, we take a look at LEED certification activity in October 2014, broken out by rating system and location, as well as newly certified LEED projects in the news. Be sure to check out USGBC's LEED project directory for a closer look at LEED projects in your area. You can also visit the Green Building Information Gateway to analyze LEED trends around the world. Certification Level Projects Certified Square Footage...

Year after year, the annual Greenbuild Conference and Expo offers a place for thousands to gather and renew their commitment to the green movement and sustainable building. The Opening Plenary kicks off three exhilarating days of uplifting speakers, unmatched networking opportunities, LEED workshops and tours of green buildings. View the videos below for a recap of the 2014 Opening Plenary in New Orleans. Greenbuild 2014 Opening Plenary speech by Rick Fedrizzi  Opening remarks from...

I’m still basking the glow of our recent Greenbuild. What a tremendous event from every angle, and so many people to thank for making it so special. In that regard, a lot of things sometimes go on behind the scenes that we never get a chance to see, and people whose contributions might go unrecognized. So there are two I want to acknowledge personally. One person is Rick Schwolsky, who, among other things, led Hanley Wood’s engagement around the building of a sustainable showhome...