It’s all about the data. Green buildings are being transformed into high-performance “smart buildings” equipped with new technologies, integrated systems, custom user apps and lots of data. Smart buildings take green to a whole new level. Why is data important for buildings? Data give us information on how buildings are actually being used, and it allows the building to perform based on the needs of the occupants. Having information on usage is critical to operating the...

You want the best courses, and we've got them. Check out this month's best three courses to grow your LEED, green building and sustainability knowledge.  February's top three courses, created by USGBC Education Partners: Net Zero School Districts—A Strategic Approach to NZE Schools District-Wide in Boulder Valley, created by Education Partner USGBC Colorado. This session on school district-wide net zero energy, from Colorado's Green Schools Summit 2015, outlines a...

New SmartMarket report shows global green building continues to double every three years Washington, DC (Feb. 16, 2016) – USGBC has announced the results of the Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report, to which USGBC is a contributing partner. The new report, conducted in nearly 70 countries, demonstrates that global green building continues to double every three years. The report also finds emerging economies like Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and...

The full article article was originally published on wellcertified.com under the title "IWBI Celebrates Early Adopters and Leaders in the Healthy Building Movement," by Paul Scialla, founder of the International WELL Building Institute. In 2009, a team of doctors, scientists, architects and engineers came together to discuss the health impacts of our built environments and create a performance-based framework to connect people and buildings. This started with a question: How can we deliver...

LEED in Motion: Hospitality report highlights hotel brands across the world incorporating LEED and other sustainability practices Washington, D.C.—(Feb. 18, 2016)—Today, USGBC released its LEED in Motion: Hospitality report, which showcases tremendous industry growth in green building and defines the scale-up opportunities for the hospitality sector. More than 109 million square feet of hotel space is currently LEED-certified, and the report highlights some of the most impressive...

This article was originally published as "Living WELL" in the January/February issue of USGBC+. Read the original version. When green building began to sweep the country in the 1970s, it came with a red alert: Construction with toxic components was harmful to the environment. A correlation between the effects of traditional construction and human health increased the urgency. Now, a group of stakeholders is breaking new, higher ground by establishing the world’s first WELL-certified...

In this episode of Climate Leaders, we continue our interviews from the World Green Building Council Congress with Terri Wills, CEO of the World Green Building Council, and Felipe Faria, managing director for Green Building Brasil.  Terri Wills, CEO, World Green Building Council  The World Green Building Council is a nonprofit organization and coalition of more than 80 national green building councils throughout the world. Terri Wills, CEO, has a deep background in policy and media,...

The 2015 Top 10 States list honors transformative efforts at the state level to create healthier, more energy- and water-efficient places to live, learn, work and play. In 2015 alone, 1,633 projects were certified in the United States—equivalent to an incredible 275 million square feet.  In this series, we spotlight the standout LEED-certified projects that contributed to the overall 2015 Top 10 rankings. Join us in celebrating some of the best examples of green building design,...

In the final installment of our blog series on sustainability in higher education, we talk with Meghan Fay Zahniser, Executive Director of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). AASHE is a nonprofit membership association that empowers higher education faculty, administrators, staff and students to be effective change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.  Her hope is that colleges and universities, in addition to...

For the past eight years, USGBC has offered scholarships to make Greenbuild accessible to people who would otherwise not be able to attend. For Greenbuild 2015, 94 individuals received a scholarship. Recipients represent a diverse group of people from around the world. Each one has a story to tell and brings their own passion to their work. Each one has a role to play in making green buildings and communities a reality for all.  As we lead up to Greenbuild 2016 in Los Angeles, we will...

As a 13-year veteran of USGBC, one of my favorite things to do is lead tours of our amazing LEED Platinum headquarters. You’d think it would get old after all these years, but after leading more that 800 tours, I still love it. Let me tell you what I love most about giving tours of our office: The people: We have given tours to over 10,000 people since we opened the doors in 2009. Not just folks in the design community, but hundreds of students of all ages, product manufacturers,...

In the third installment of our blog series on sustainability in higher education, we talk with Julian Keniry, co-founder of Campus Ecology at the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and senior director for campus and community leadership. She is also the co-founder of Greenforce, a national community college green workforce education initiative, and the EcoLeader leadership and career development program. For you, what’s the significance of collaboration in meeting sustainability goals?...