The Green Building Initiative (GBI) has certified its 100th building in the U.S. under the organization’s Green Globes environmental assessment and rating system.
The milestone building was the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Houston, Texas. It received a rating of three globes for energy efficiency and environmental management practices.
“Reaching the 100-building mark is a significant milestone for the GBI as we continue our work to make green rating tools practical and affordable,” said GBI President Ward Hubbell.
Since being introduced to the U.S. in 2005, Green Globes has become a widely-accepted standard for commercial green building.
Twenty states officially recognize Green Globes through legislation or executive order, as do the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education and the Department of Interior.
The GBI recently released the Green Globes Professional and Green Globes Assessor personnel certification programs, which help develop green-building professionals’ knowledge of sustainable building practices and the Green Globes system.
GBI is also in the final stages of establishing Green Globes as an official national standard for sustainable construction of commercial buildings through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
