USGBC Plans to Recognizes Participants of LEED™ for Existing Buildings Pilot Program

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USGBC Plans to Recognizes Participants of LEED™ for Existing Buildings Pilot Program

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USGBC Plans to Recognizes Participants of LEED™ for Existing Buildings Pilot Program

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, May. 1 -/E-Wire/-- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will recognize all participants in the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED EB) pilot program at a Congressional Luncheon following the USGBC Federal Summit in Washington, D.C. April 30. Participating in the LEED EB pilot program are 76 buildings representing 58 companies and organizations. These buildings comprise more than 20 million square feet of floor space, and can provide invaluable insight into the green building process.

"The objective of the pilot program," said Michael Arny Chairman of the LEED EB Committee, "is to assure this rating system is practical and workable for application in real buildings. We want LEED EB to become an effective tool for transforming the market to green operating practices in existing buildings while enhancing the USGBC's definition of green buildings."

The diversity of projects involved in the pilot include major corporations, healthcare facilities, government facilities, schools and universities. This broad sampling and their collected data will enable the USGBC to refine and adjust the rating system in accordance with the experience of the pilot program building projects. LEED EB will provide a sustainable system for operating and upgrading environmental performance and economic savings for owners and facility managers of the more than 4.6 million buildings already standing.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), established by the USGBC, the building industry's leading authority on sustainable design and construction, was officially launched in the Spring of 2000 with the introduction of its first building rating standard, LEED 2.0 for New Construction (LEED NC).

During the past three years, the USGBC developed LEED EB by taking LEED NC and turning its focus on building upgrades and building operations. LEED EB covers existing buildings, both new to LEED certification and buildings previously certified under LEED NC. Three major categories of building operational improvements included in LEED EB are: 1) Buildings that already operate according to green principles and where LEED EB documentation requirements are met; 2) building systems and infrastructures that meet most LEED EB prerequisites and credits at the desired level, but improvements in the way the building is operated must be made and; 3) buildings that require significant system retrofits and operational improvements to meet LEED EB standards.

"LEED EB provides the opportunity for building owners and operators," said Christine Ervin President and CEO of USGBC, "to capture the promise of sustainable operations and reduced environmental impact of buildings over their entire life cycle. We look forward to distributing a revised version to the USGBC membership this summer with valuable impute from the pilots."

LEED EB is scheduled to be redrafted by this June with pilot participant feedback. This ballot draft will be distributed for review by the USGBC membership during the summer. A fully vetted LEED EB 2.0 version will be launched in conjunction with a newly developed workshop at the International Facility Management Association World Workplace Convention in October 19 – 21, 2003.

All of the pilot projects that have achieved LEED EB certification will receive recognition as part of the USGBC's GreenBuild International Conference and Expo to be held November 12 – 14, 2003 in Pittsburgh.

The USGBC is a nonprofit, consensus-based coalition representing the entire building industry. For more information on LEED and the U.S. Green Building Council, visit www.usgbc.org. The web site offers on-line rulings in applying LEED standards. Also, technical support services and expertise are available to those in the certification program

U.S. Green Building Council

LEED EB Committee Chair,

[REDACTED-EMAIL]

Taryn Holowka, USGBC

Greg Bell, Media Relations

http://www.usgbc.org

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