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GBI RESPONSE TO MARCH 29 WALL STREET JOURNAL PIECE

March 29, 2006

Dear Directors/Supporters:

You may have seen Alex Frangos' article titled, "Industry Seeks New Green - Building Standard" in the Wall Street Journal this morning. I wanted to take a minute to share some of my thoughts regarding the piece.

Most importantly, the article reinforces our increasing prominence in the green building field and our success in creating options for those involved in the commercial and residential construction industries. For that, we owe you, our directors and supporters, a debt of gratitude.

If there was a disappointing aspect to the piece, it was the emphasis placed on the source of our early funding and support. To be clear, we have never hidden the fact that the GBI received the bulk of our start-up funding from the Wood Promotion Network, but over the past year, we have worked hard to diversify our funding, as well as develop a governance structure that ensures balance and credibility.

As Mr. Frangos correctly pointed out, an independent and diverse Board of Directors comprised equally of producers, users and interested third parties, governs the GBI. The wood products industry has only one representative on the board, among 16 current directors, which will soon expand to 30.

We are proud to be the first green building organization to be accredited as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and have already begun the process to establish Green Globes as an official ANSI standard. In fact, we recently elected the first 15 members of the technical committee, which will shortly self-populate to 30 members and function independent of the GBI Board of Directors and staff. The technical committee is composed of a variety of users, academics, NGOs and producers, but it also includes one seat for all of the major building component manufacturers.

This action alone should speak volumes to our commitment to balance and transparency as we seek to develop and promote credible and accessible approaches to green building.

I am more excited than ever to continue our important work towards achieving our vision that green building becomes the norm, rather than the exception in the residential and commercial construction industries.

Thanks again for your support!

Sincerely,

Ward Hubbell
Executive Director