USGBC Adopts Living Building Challenge Requirements

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will now recognize energy and water requirements from the Living Building Challenge within the LEED green building program, the council announced on April 7.

The Living Building Challenge is touted as a program that sets the highest benchmarks for sustainability in the built environment. The move between the USGBC and the Living Building Challenge means that projects achieving energy and water requirements in the challenge will be considered as technically equivalent to LEED.

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GCGBC Wins Green Business Award

CINCINNATI — The Greater Cincinnati Green Business Council (GCGBC) has received the 2015 Green Business Award for Green Advocacy from the Cincinnati Business Courier and the Cincinnati Regional Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The annual award recognizes an organization that provides educational awareness about sustainability. It was presented to the GCGBC in the nonprofit category in recognition of their waste management initiatives at a ceremony held on March 5.

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UC Merced Earns 15 LEED Certifications

MERCED, Calif. — Sustainable practices at the University of California, Merced (UC Merced), have earned the school its 15th LEED certification for new construction and its first LEED certification for building operations and maintenance.

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Poll Shows Bipartisan Support for LEED

WASHINGTON — A new poll released Feb. 25 found almost equal support from Republicans and Democrats of the LEED green building rating system.

Results from the nationwide poll released Feb. 25 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) found 79 percent of Republican Americans and 89 percent of Democrats support the use of LEED in buildings. A majority also supports the criteria LEED uses to rate a building’s sustainability, including saving money through energy and water efficiency.

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