Green Globes® is a revolutionary green building guidance and assessment program that offers an effective, practical and affordable way to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings. Essential elements of the Green Globes system include:

• Comprehensive environmental assessment protocol
• Software tools that speed and simplify online assessment
• Best practices guidance for green construction and operations
• Qualified assessors with green building expertise
• Rating/certification system

Environmental Assessment Areas
Based on its recognized and proven assessment protocol, using the Green Globes software tools and ratings/certification system ensures that environmental impacts are comprehensively assessed on a 1,000 point scale in multiple categories:

• Energy
• Indoor Environment
• Site
• Water
• Resources
• Emissions
• Project/Environmental Management

Building Certification
After achieving a threshold of at least 35% of the total number of 1,000 points, new and existing commercial buildings can be certified for their environmental achievements and sustainability by pursuing Green Globes certification that assigns a rating of one to four globes.

Highly qualified third-party assessors (with expertise in green building design, engineering, construction and facility operations) conveniently interface with project teams and building owners during the third-party assessment process by reviewing building documentation and conducting on-site walk throughs. Green Globes rating/certification is suitable and practically attainable for a wide range of commercial buildings, and enables building owners to credibly market their environmental responsibility to shareholders, tenants, and the broader community.

The Green Globes® for New Construction (NC) tool is an easy-to-use, web application that aids architects, engineers, construction professionals, building owners and facilities managers in evaluating, quantifying, and improving the environmental performance of new construction projects as well as major renovations. It provides building sustainability assessment, education and feedback throughout the design-build-commission project lifecycle for new commercial buildings.

Projects that score high on the Green Globes rating scale, and incorporate the sustainability enhancement suggestions coming from the tool are expected to:

• Consume fewer fossil fuels
• Reduce green house emissions
• Conserve water
• Reduce other forms of pollution
• Minimize impact on the land surrounding the building
• Offer a better working environment for occupants

New commercial buildings that have implemented the improvement suggestions of Green Globes and have a higher Green Globes rating may also offer practical advantages in the area of lower operating costs for energy and water. Tenants and future building owners likewise may place a premium value on buildings that are less costly to operate and can be credibly demonstrated to be environmentally sustainable.

Green Globes helps new commercial construction project teams design and build facilities that have lower operating costs, provide a more pleasant working environment, and minimize their adverse impact on the environment. New buildings that achieve higher Green Globes ratings may provide additional economic benefits stemming from tenants, corporate shareholders, and potential buyers preferences for energy efficient and credibly “sustainable” facilities.

Green Globes® for Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB) delivers a comprehensive and practical means for evaluating, rating, and improving the environmental footprint and/or sustainability of commercial buildings. As an online tool, it provides building owners and property managers a convenient, practical, and effective mechanism to aid in reducing the overall environmental impact of the buildings they own and operate.

Using the Green Globes  CIEB online tool not only allows the integration of best building management and operation, practices, but also offers improvement suggestions and web links to green building technology. Once implemented, these suggestions are intended to help building owners save energy, minimize greenhouse emissions, conserve water resources, and reduce other forms of pollution. 

CIEB follows the same areas of assessment as NC but does not include Site Impact.

The Green Globes® LCA credit calculator is a free tool that helps architectural design and engineering teams understand various cradle-to-grave environmental impacts of building assemblies. The LCA tool takes into consideration the following impact indicators:

• Building material lifespan
• Embodied energy
• Solid waste
• Air and water pollution
• Global warming potential

This LCA tool provides results for hundreds of common building assemblies in low and high-rise categories-including exterior walls, roofs, intermediate floors, interior walls, windows, columns and beams. The LCA Credit Calculator is a free, downloadable, and easy to use software tool that is based on the ATHENA® EcoCalculator for Assemblies. Design teams who use the LCA Credit Calculator as part of their evaluation process, receive LCA-related education credits within the Green Globes NC assessment protocol and rating system.  The next version of the Green Globes tools—based on GBI’s standard development activities and the GBI Proposed American National Standard 01-200XP:  Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings—will fully incorporate the Green Globes LCA Credit Calculator.

Green Globes® offers opportunities for recognition and certification in the design, construction, and/or operation of commercial buildings. Third-party assessment is required for a Green Globes rating and certification, which then provides a recognized means to address the increasingly important environmental concerns of owners, investors, customers, and residents/occupants.

Building projects that have completed either the NC or CIEB assessments, and scored a minimum threshold of 35% of the 1,000 available points, are then eligible to schedule a thorough third-party review of documentation and an on-site walk-through that will then lead to a formal Green Globes rating/certification. The third party assessment process is different for existing buildings and new construction. Green Globes-CIEB assessment includes an extensive documentation review and an on-site visit with a walk through and interview of facility manager and chief engineer. The New Construction assessment includes two stages of assessment. Stage I is a review of construction documents, working drawings, landscape designs, energy analysis, LCA documentation, commissioning reports, etc. Stage II includes an onsite walk through, review of additional documentation, and interview of key team members. Green Globes-CIEB includes an extensive documentation review and an on-site visit with walk through and interview of facility manager and chief engineer.

Buildings that successfully complete a third-party assessment are assigned a Green Globes rating of one to four globes. Plaques and public relations materials are available to help enhance public recognition of this important achievement. Green Globes rated/certified buildings are intended to:

• Use less energy
• Conserve natural resources
• Emit fewer pollutants in the form of greenhouse gases, airborne particulates, liquid effluents, and/or solid waste

By obtaining a formal Green Globes rating/certification, companies can publicly demonstrate their commitment to environmental sensitivity, credibly measure and market the sustainability of their building portfolio, and reduce adverse environmental impacts.  The practical economic benefits of sustainability in terms of lower energy bills, higher occupant satisfaction, and potentially higher re-sale/lease value create a compelling value proposition for regular benchmarking and annual recertification.

Green Globes Personnel Certification Programs have been created to support the national adoption and growth of Green Globes by creating, maintaining, and growing the network of individuals already authorized to support the assessment and certification process. Green Building Initiative currently offers two designations based on level of expertise and desired role in the Green Globes assessment process, including Green Globes Professional (GGP), Green Globes Assessor (GGA) – Phase I, to support the growth and adoption of sustainable building practices. To download a summary of Green Globes Personnel Certifications, click here

• Green Globes Professionals (GGPs) - individuals who receive training at the Green Globes user level and are qualified to complete online evaluations, offer project management and technical support to clients undergoing the assessment process.
• Green Globes Assessors (GGAs) - highly experienced industry professionals who complete extensive training and testing, and are authorized and individually assigned by the GBI  to perform on-site, third-party assessments that lead to the award of a formal Green Globes building rating of one to four globes.

While minimum qualifications, training, testing, and credentialing requirements vary for the Green Globes Professional and Green Globes Assessor certifications, all candidates for any Green Globes Personnel Certification program must complete rigorous training and pass a test regarding their knowledge of the following:

1. Green building and operations best practices;
2. Green Globes assessment protocol for both new and existing buildings;
3. Proficiency in using the Green Globes online assessment tools;
4. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA);
5. Energy modeling, including use of the Energy Star; and
6. Familiarity with the entire Green Globes Certification process from start to finish.