News

GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE™ SEEKS APPLICATIONS FOR ANSI SUB-COMMITTEES
Expertise Needed to Help Establish Green Globes™ as an American National Standard

PORTLAND, OR (June 23, 2006) — The technical committee responsible for establishing the Green Globes™ environmental assessment and rating system as an American National Standard is seeking experts in a variety of building science disciplines for seven technical sub-committees.

In late May, the Green Building Initiative's™ (GBI) American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard development committee held its first general meeting in Arlington, Va. The thirty member committee is comprised of a balance of users, producers and interested third parties from a variety of respected organizations and corporations including the Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. The committee is chaired by Wayne Trusty of the Athena Institute and Thomas Taylor of Vertegy, an Alberici Enterprise, serves as vice-chair.

At the general meeting, the committee established a timeline to complete the ANSI process for Green Globes by the end of 2007. It also agreed to establish a variety of sub-committees that will be responsible for each of the seven areas of assessment within the Green Globes system. The individual sub-committees will be comprised of members from the standards development committee, as well as individuals with expertise in those particular areas who are interested in participating in the process.

"We're very proud of the caliber of individuals on the standards development committee," said Wayne Trusty, president of the Athena Institute and committee chair. "But we're also pleased to have the opportunity to bring in additional, specific experts in a broad range of related disciplines to help us establish the best standard possible."

The seven sub-committees that the GBI is currently seeking applications for include:

• Project Management - Policies and Practices
• Site
• Energy
• Water
• Resources - Building Materials and Solid Waste
• Emissions and Effluents
• Indoor Environment

Individuals with related expertise in any of these areas, or who are otherwise interested in the ANSI process, are encouraged to apply for spots on any of the sub-committees by visiting the "commercial" page of the GBI Web site at www.thegbi.org and clicking on the "technical committee" link. Although the initial selection process for sub-committee members began on August 1, 2006, applications are still being accepted for future sub-committee work and public review notification.

Once the sub-committees are established and their work is approved by the standards development committee, the final standard will be released for a formal 30-day public review. This formal review process will allow the standards development committee to collect appropriate feedback before submitting the final standard to ANSI to secure designation as an American National Standard.

For more information about the Green Building Initiative, Green Globes or the GBI's ANSI standards development committee, 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.

ABOUT ANSI: ANSI facilitates the development of American National Standards (ANS) by accrediting procedures of standards developing organizations. These groups work cooperatively to develop voluntary national consensus standards. Accreditation by ANSI signifies that the procedures used by the standards body in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute's essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process. For more information: www.ansi.org.