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OKLAHOMA RECOGNIZES GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE'S™ GREEN GLOBES™ SYSTEM
-- Oklahoma Adds to Growing List of States to Formally Include Green Globes in Legislation --

Portland, Ore. (June 26, 2008) – Oklahoma recently became the sixteenth state in the United States to formally recognize the Green Building Initiative's (GBI) Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system in legislation.

To promote energy-efficient building practices in Oklahoma, House Bill 3394 calls for state buildings to adopt a "high-performance certification program" for newly constructed public buildings—and, specifically, the GBI's Green Globes system or the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

"We applaud the state of Oklahoma for recognizing the positive environmental, social and economic benefits of high performance buildings," said Ward Hubbell, president of the GBI. "When a state places a priority on sustainability for public buildings, it sets an example by positioning its projects at the forefront of the building industry, and encourages others to build green. This legislation is sure to bring about greater adoption of sustainable practices."

Oklahoma joins Arkansas, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, New Jersey, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin as states which have formally recognized Green Globes in green building legislation or regulation.

For more information about the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system, or the GBI, visit www.thegbi.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.