News

GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE™ TO OFFER FREE GREEN GLOBES™ TRAINING SESSION AT ECOBUILD FEDERAL

WASHINGTON, DC (December 2, 2005) — On December 13, the Green Building Initiative™ will offer a free three-hour training session on the Green Globes™ environmental design and rating system at the EcoBuild Federal Conference in Washington, D.C.

EcoBuild Federal is a conference and exhibition focusing on sustainable design and construction with a special emphasis on federal buildings. The recent Executive Order 13123 requires that federal agencies constructing federal buildings apply sustainable design principles such as minimizing energy and resource consumption, protecting and conserving water, and enhancing indoor air quality.

The session will also feature an overview of the Green Globes for commercial buildings in operation, which provides data-based guidance, recommendations, and information for benchmarking and improving the performance of existing buildings.

Green Globes is the first U.S. web-based assessment protocol, rating system and guide for integrating environmentally-friendly design into commercial structures. It is a proven and credible environmental design and assessment tool that is also flexible, affordable and user friendly, making it accessible to mainstream commercial builders.

The three-hour Green Globes training program, which takes place on December 13 from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Washington Convention Center room 146B, provides insights and strategies from building sciences experts on how to utilize the Green Globes new construction module to improve the environmental design and performance of new commercial buildings. The session concludes with an overview of how existing buildings can benefit from Green Globes for commercial buildings in operation.

Speakers will include Jiri Skopek, architect, planner, environmental consultant, and owner of ECD Energy and Environment, who led the development committee that created the Green Globes system, and Dr. Harvey Bryan, a professor at Arizona State University's College of Design and a leading expert on energy and environmental aspects of buildings.

Ward Hubbell, executive director of the Green Building Initiative explains, "The goal of Ecobuild is to provide a complete look at the issues of designing and maintaining energy-efficient, healthier, and better performing buildings. This makes Ecobuild Federal an ideal platform to educate the industry on Green Globes."

To register for this free training session, log onto: http://www.ecobuildfederal.com/greenglobes.shtml Enter your contact information and the following code: GG_05ex_fl

ABOUT THE GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE:
The Green Building Initiative is a not-for-profit whose mission is to promote practical green building approaches to energy efficient and environmentally sustainable building practices. The Green Building Initiative is focused on ensuring the availability of credible and practical green building approaches within the residential and commercial construction industries.

To learn more about the Green Building Initiative or the Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system, visit www.thegbi.org.

ABOUT SBIC'S ECOBUILD FEDERAL AND AEC-ST FEDERAL:
SBIC's Ecobuild Federal focuses on sustainable land development practices, design, products, and tools to improve the affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America's built environment. This event addresses the special needs of those who design, build, and manage government facilities. AEC-ST Federal "Lifecycle Strategies for the Built Environment" examines technology tools and methods to improve the use and sharing of information in multiple data formats both within and between each stage of the built environment lifecycle. Attendees include representatives from all segments of the public sector plus private sector professionals from the entire building and construction industry.

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS INDUSTRY COUNCIL (SBIC):
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC), Ecobuild and AEC-ST Federal's marquee sponsor advocates a balanced, holistic approach to designing new buildings. Working in close partnership with federal agencies, policy makers, and national laboratories for over 24 years, the Council has led the way in "Advancing a ?whole building' approach to design™." For more information, visit www.SBICouncil.org.