August 10, 2009 | GBI Insight Home

President's Message

As you may have gleaned from today’s top story, increasing demand for Green Globes® has created a need for GBI to expand the national network of individuals qualified to support the assessment process.

It is my great pleasure to report that Green Globes has done exactly what GBI hoped it would do when we introduced it in the United States in 2005—make green building assessment and certification widely accessible, especially to mainstream practitioners. Our view at the time was that an effective tool that was also practical, affordable and user-friendly was not only missing from the marketplace, but required to achieve broad-based acceptance of sustainable building practices.

Today, there are more than 1,000 building projects registered in the system and it is one of the leading green building rating tools in the country. It is also well on its way to becoming the first American National Standard for commercial green building, which makes it the most rigorously reviewed rating system on the market.

With the new Green Globes Personnel Certification Program, GBI is enhancing the organizational structure that supports the tool. The objective is to ensure that buildings ready for the final stage of certification can undergo the third-party assessment process in a timely and consistent manner, no matter where in the country they’re located. Third-party assessment includes a comprehensive review of documentation and an on-site walk-through by a Green Globes Assessor (GGA) and is required before any building can receive its final rating.

Another goal is to increase the support available to clients undergoing the assessment process. Although organizations are not required to use the services of a Green Globes Professional (GGP), individuals with this designation can be counted on as expert users of the system.  As a result, organizations that contract a GGP or encourage their own employees to become GGPs can expect increased speed and efficiency and, if desired, a greater number of buildings certified in a shorter period of time.

On behalf of GBI, I would like to thank everyone who has used Green Globes and everyone who continues to support the need for a competitive market environment that allows for more than one successful rating system.  Because of you, more than 19 states formally recognize Green Globes, five federal agencies now use Green Globes, and numerous major insurance carriers offer discounts on premiums for coverage of buildings with Green Globes certification.

Many of you are candidates for GGA or GGP designation and we hope you will pursue one or the other as a way to expand your knowledge while helping to enhance the use and development of the Green Globes tools. Together, we can continue to facilitate the adoption of sustainable building practices across the U.S. 

Sincerely,

Ward Hubbell
President
The Green Building Initiative