March 19, 2009 | GBI Insight Home

2008 Activities Focused on Increasing Demand, Creating Infrastructure

In mid-2006, GBI held its first meeting of the consensus committee that would go on to write the industry's first proposed American National Standard for commercial green buildings. By the end of 2008, the proposed standard had completed its second round of public comment, and it has now entered the final stretch of this lengthy, formal process.

In the meantime, however, other activities have been underway to ensure that building owners, architects, engineers and others are aware of Green Globes® and understand how it can benefit their projects, and to create the infrastructure required to accommodate increasing demand.

Among other things, GBI has refined its member benefits to include Green Globes licenses, established free 30-day trials for Green Globes-New Construction and Green Globes-Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings, conducted numerous training sessions, and provided marketing and public relations support for buildings that achieved certification.

A great deal of work has also gone into assessment. GBI has had a comprehensive third-party assessment program for Green Globes since the system was launched in the United States in 2005. The program uses highly qualified assessors who in 2008 conducted almost 40 assessments. However, with that number expected to more than double this year, GBI is working both to streamline the assessment process by implementing a number of online time saving initiatives, and to recruit new assessors. GBI assessors are encouraged to expand both their assessment expertise and their client base by becoming LEED Accredited Professionals or offering similar services for buildings rated using other systems.

Over the past year, GBI has seen a steady increase in certification activity. As of this writing, 47 buildings have successfully achieved Green Globes third-party certifications across the US, and another 41 are at some stage in the certification process. Approximately 150 additional buildings are registered with the new construction module and 265 with the module for existing buildings.

For information on how to become a qualified Green Globes assessor, please contact Vicki Worden at vicki@thegbi.org. To purchase a Green Globes license or sign up for a free 30-day trial, click here.