LEED Is Private, Voluntary, Transparent and Democratic
Washington, DC - (July 18, 2012) - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today applauded the creation of the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition by the American Chemistry Council and others, noting that, after 20 years, it was significant that the representative groups were finally engaging in conversation about the critical importance of green, high performance buildings for America. In response to the announcement of the new coalition, Roger Platt, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Law at USGBC released the following statement:
"We welcome the announcement of the formation of the American High Performance Building Council, but as Ronald Reagan once said, we will 'trust but verify.'
"Like the newly formed coalition, USGBC also supports the use of green building codes and standards, in addition to third party rating systems like LEED, and has proudly worked with leading code development organizations to co-release the leading mandatory green building codes.
"In the voluntary world of rating systems, LEED is transforming America's commercial real estate market, providing immediate financial benefits to building owners, operators and some of America's most admired companies through a private, voluntary, transparent and democratic process governed by the 15,000 member organizations of the USGBC.
"USGBC knows just how crucial industry participation is to high performance building success. The 1.5 million square feet per day of commercial space we certify would not be possible without the full active participation of leading architects, engineers, builders, contractors and product manufacturers.
"If this coalition is sincere in its interest to advance high-performance buildings over the status quo, we welcome them to the table and sincerely look forward to engaging together to make green buildings more valuable to Americans."
About USGBC and LEED
The U.S Green Building Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of healthy, efficient green buildings. USGBC is predominantly known for the publication of the LEED Green Building Rating System . Private sector leaders established LEED in 2000 and it has quickly become the most widely used, voluntary, market-driven building rating program in the country. LEED is largely responsible for the explosive growth of energy-efficient, high-performance construction, which supports or creates nearly eight million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. 48 companies in the Fortune 100 use LEED certification to reduce operating and energy costs and to increase their bottom lines. LEED-certified buildings are also saving U.S. taxpayers tens millions of dollars every day through these same efficiencies.
USGBC is working with all stakeholders, including companies across all sectors of the building industry, to ensure that LEED remains the most widely used and accepted high performance building rating system in the country. Nearly 1,300 product manufacturers - including two dozen chemical companies and the American Chemistry Council itself - are members of the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees LEED. Manufacturers are the third largest segment of USGBC membership, behind architects and engineering firms, and builders and contractors.