Green Building Programs

Green Globes^® CIEB Overview

Green Globes is a well-established green building guidance and assessment program that offers a practical and affordable way to advance the environmental performance and sustainability of a wide variety of building types. Designed for existing buildings, the Green Globes Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB) program includes:

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

Green Globes for Existing Buildings (CIEB)

The Green Globes CIEB tool is a user-friendly web application that aids building owners and property managers in the evaluation, documentation, and improvement of the environmental performance of their buildings. Using this tool enables building teams to focus on sustainability, gives them options when considering capital improvements or implementation of best practices, and allows them to benchmark and rate the benefits of various building attributes and procedures.

In addition to the environmental assessment, Green Globes CIEB also educates the user. Utilizing entries entered into your CIEB survey, Green Globes provides an automatically generated report that can help you evaluate opportunities to benefit from energy savings, reduced environmental impacts, integrated corporate goals and practices, and lower costs for maintenance. Green Globes' value-added features combined with a cost-effective third-party assessment process provides the quickest and most affordable way to assess the environmental sustainability of your existing building.

Environmental Assessment Areas

Green Globes CIEB follows the same areas of assessment as Green Globes for New Construction, but does not include the section on Site Impact. It is suitable for a wide range of commercial buildings from large and small offices, multi-family structures, and institutional buildings such as court houses, schools, and universities.

The Green Globes CIEB program ensures that environmental impacts are comprehensively assessed on a 1,000 point scale. Green Globes CIEB covers six different environmental assessment areas, with each area utilizing weighted criteria and an assigned number of points that are used to quantify overall building performance and use of best practices.

Environmental Assessment Area	Points	Description
Energy	350	Performance, efficiency, management, CO2, transportation
Water	80	Performance, conservation, treatment
Resources	110	Waste reduction, recycling
Emissions	175	Boilers, water effluents, hazmat
Indoor Environment	185	Air quality, lighting, noise
Environmental Management	100	EMS documentation, purchasing, environmental awareness
Total Points	1,000

Eligibility Requirements

Unlike LEED, Green Globes has no prerequisites. There are only a few eligibility requirements, ensuring that a wide variety of buildings can undergo Green Globes assessment and certification.

Eligible buildings must:

• Score a minimum 35% of the total applicable points through preliminary self-evaluation.
• Have at least 12 consecutive months of operational energy & water data.
• Have conditioned space.
• Be at least 400 gross square feet in size.

Building Certification

A third-party assessment is required for a Green Globes rating and certification. After meeting the eligibility requirements listed above, existing buildings may seek a Green Globes certification and rating for their environmental sustainability and achievements.

Third-party assessors with expertise in green building design, engineering, construction and facility operations interface with project teams and building owners during the assessment process by reviewing documentation and conducting on-site building tours. Buildings that successfully complete a third-party assessment are assigned a rating of one to four Green Globes, which is reflected in a certificate or optional plaque issued by the GBI.

Assessment & Certification Process

Green Globes CIEB follows a straight-forward assessment and certification process as summarized below:

• Purchase the Green Globes Existing Buildings (GG CIEB) online evaluation
• Complete a building assessment using the online Green Globes tool
• Request a quote for a third-party assessment and certification (if meeting the 35% minimum threshold)
• Order & complete the third-party assessment for GG CIEB
• Receive a Green Globes rating and certification for your building

Resources

• Green Globes CIEB Pre-Assessment Checklist
• Green Globes CIEB Criteria and Point Allocation
• Listing of Certified Green Globes Professionals

Next Steps

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