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Taryn Holowka
Communications Manager
202 828-1144
tholowka@usgbc.org
USGBC Recognized as Laureate by the Computerworld Honors Program for LEED® Online
June 21, 2006 - (Washington, DC) - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has been awarded the 21st Century Achievement Award in the Environment, Energy and Agriculture category by the Computerworld Honors Program for the USGBC's LEED online program, powered by Adobe LiveCycleT technology.
USGBC was nominated for the Computerworld Honors program by Adobe® for successfully streamlining the LEED green building rating system application process using the LiveCycleT technology.
Each year, members of Computerworld's Chairmen's Committee, a group of 100 Chairs/CEOs of global technology companies, identify those organizations whose use of information technology has been especially noteworthy for the originality of its conception, the breadth of its vision, and the significance of its benefit to society.
For almost two decades, Computerworld Honors has acknowledged the individuals and organizations that have used information technology to benefit society. This year's honorees were commemorated during the 18th Annual Laureates Medal Ceremony & Gala Awards Evening on June 5, 2006 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
USGBC's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system is a voluntary building certification program that guides the design and construction of high-performance green buildings. Green buildings are environmentally responsible, healthier, and more profitable when compared with conventional buildings. USGBC created LEED to establish a common definitions and standard of measurement for what constitutes a "green" building.
Traditionally, applying for LEED certification has been time-consuming and paper-intensive. The length and perceived difficulty of the application process has deterred projects from applying for LEED certification despite the environmental and economic benefits. By using Adobe software to automate application processing, the new paperless application process cuts the LEED application submission time by as much as 50%. LEED Online debuted in November 2005, and hundreds of projects are already using the online documentation and submission forms.
"The LEED documentation and certification process used to be very cumbersome," said Joe Diianni, Director of Technology, USGBC. "Projects were required to submit binders of paperwork and documentation. Working with Adobe to simplify the application process will encourage more projects to seek LEED certification, save paper, as well as improve our own processes for handling and reviewing submissions."
Among the benefits of LEED Online are:
- Easy calculations: The PDF forms contain built-in functions for calculating complex equa¬tions for LEED measurements.
- Enhanced collaboration: Team mem¬bers can download the specific forms they need, complete the Adobe PDF forms offline, and e-mail the forms to co-workers for additional input.
- Simplified submittals: LEED Online replaces thick binders full of paper documentation. After applicants have completed the Adobe® PDF forms, they can attach supporting documentation and upload materials to LEED-Online.
- Streamlined reviews: Via LEED Online, project teams, USGBC staff, and third-party experts can conveniently review the application information. They can add their input to the appli¬cation documents using adobe Acrobat commenting tools to highlight areas of interest or concern.
- Increased security: The new system also enhances information security, because username and password permissions are associated with each Adobe PDF form.
Currently there are LEED projects in all 50 states and 12 countries around the world. Over half a billion square feet of building space is building to or has been build to the LEED standards. LEED online's goal is to further USGBC's mission of promoting more sustainable and environmentally responsible building design & construction.
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About USGBC & LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation's leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 6,300 member companies and organizations, a 70-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED® products and services, the industry's popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of 67 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. The USGBC's LEED rating system is a feature-oriented rating system where building projects earn credits for satisfying specified green building criteria. For more information visit http://www.usgbc.org.
About Computerworld
Computerworld, the "Voice of IT Management," is the most trusted source for the critical information needs of senior IT management. Computerworld's integrated offerings form the U.S.-based hub of the world's largest (58-edition) global IT media network through its weekly publication, Computerworld.com Web site, focused conference series and custom research. In the past five years alone, Computerworld has won more than 100 print and online awards for editorial and design excellence, surpassing its direct competition by an order of magnitude. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.
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