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CSA AMERICA TO DEVELOP PERSONNEL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM ON BEHALF OF GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE™

Cleveland, OH (March 6, 2007) — CSA America, Inc., a leading developer of standards and codes, today announced a new agreement with the Green Building Initiative™ (GBI) for the development of the Green Globes™ independently accredited Personnel Certification program. CSA America will develop the Personnel Certification program on behalf of GBI for assessors using the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system to verify achievements in design and operation of green buildings. It is the industry's first independently administered certification program for third-party verifiers of green buildings.

"CSA America is committed to addressing climate change issues and welcomes the opportunity to work with the Green Building Initiative on this project," says Spencer Grieco, Vice President, Standards, CSA America. "Through this agreement, CSA America will play a critical role in advancing building efficiency by creating an industry-wide, independently validated certification program that provides assurances of the competence of anyone evaluating building designs using the Green Globes system."

Green Globes is North America's first web-based and interactive building rating system and design tool; the tool includes an assessment protocol, rating system and guide for integrating environmentally friendly design into commercial buildings. Once a project is complete, the building can be recognized as a Green Globes building only following third-party verification, which includes an on-site inspection and auditing of points attributed through the rating process.

According to Vicki Worden, GBI's head of commercial programs, "This program is important for GBI as we prepare for the release of Green Globes as an American National Standard. CSA America will help us fulfill our commitment to the public to follow the most credible and codified procedures for our program development activities."

The Green Globes Assessor Certification Program will be based on ISO 17024 General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification Systems of Persons. Personnel certification is the assessment and formal recognition, through certification, of an individual's competence against objectively identified criteria within a specific subject area.

The goal of CSA America's certification program is to improve public confidence through the development and application of specific worker competency criteria that address the needs of workers, industry, regulators, and the general public. Unlike qualification based programs that consider an individual's education and general qualifications, CSA America's program examines an individual's measurable competency. The examination is expected to be available in mid-2007.

For more information on Personnel Certification Services, contact CSA at (216) 524-4990 or personnel-certification@csa-america.org.

About CSA America:
CSA America develops standards for gas equipment, fuel cells and related energy sectors in the U.S. market, provides personnel certification services, and participates in other National and International standards activities. CSA America, Inc. is accredited by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and is a part of CSA Group, which also consists of the Canadian Standards Association, a developer of standards and codes, CSA International for product testing and certification, OnSpeX for consumer product evaluation services, and QMI for management systems registration. For more information, visit www.csa-america.org

About The Green Building Initiative:
The mission of the Green Building Initiative is to accelerate the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches. A not-for-profit education initiative, the GBI is supported by a broad cross section of organizations and individuals with an interest in residential and commercial construction. For more information on the Green Building Initiative, please visit www.thegbi.org.