The U.S. General Services Administrstion ((GSA) 

is commended for its use of LEED® in lockstep with private sector

Washington, DC - (Aug. 08, 2012) - More than 1,200 leading businesses and organizations representing a wide array of industries across all 50 states, including 32 in Indiana, reiterated their support for the government's use of USGBC's voluntary LEED green building certification program to advance innovation in construction and save taxpayer dollars. In a letter sent last month to the General Services Administration (GSA), organizations and companies urged the continued use of LEED to reduce operating costs, save money and eliminate waste.

"Green building is incredibly important to our local community business leaders and to our state economy," said Daniel Overbey, Chair of the Indiana Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. "In Indiana, there are 420 LEED registered or certified projects comprising more than 10.5 million square feet of LEED certified space."

Additionally, in Indiana there are:

• 170 organizations headquartered in Indiana that are members of USGBC, employ more than 44,000 people, and gross more than $13 billion in annual revenue
• 1,608 LEED credentialed professionals
• More than 10.5 million square feet of LEED certified space

The signatories commended GSA for its leadership in improving the energy and environmental performance of federal buildings, citing the recently released sustainability and energy "scorecard" from the White House's budget office. The study found that federal government investments in energy efficiency over the last four years are expected to save as much as $18 billion in lifecycle energy costs.  Signatories of the letter are architects, engineers, builders, contractors, designers, planners and product manufacturers. These include Cassidy Turley Commercial Real Estate Services, Johnson Controls Inc., and United States Gypsum in addition to other high-profile business leaders.

The executives lauded GSA's decision to mirror the private sector in the use of LEED certification as a roadmap to more efficient, healthier buildings. They urged GSA to continue to use LEED and to focus on the "usability, market acceptance and effectiveness of rating tools rather than distractions focused on a single issue."  "Support for the continued use of LEED by GSA is both broad and deep," said Roger Platt, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Law, USGBC. "Our more than 13,000 member companies are fully engaged in the development and use of LEED. Clearly there is incredible agreement on the value of LEED and green building in general."  For a full list of signatories, or to view the letter, visit bit.ly/GSAletter.

About USGBC and LEED:
The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of healthy, efficient green buildings. USGBC is predominantly known for the publication of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Private sector leaders established LEED in 2000 and it has quickly become the most widely used, voluntary, market-driven building rating program in the country. LEED is largely responsible for the explosive growth of energy-efficient, high-performance construction, which supports or creates nearly eight million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. 48 companies in the Fortune 100 use LEED certification to reduce operating and energy costs and to increase their bottom lines. LEED-certified buildings are also saving U.S. taxpayers tens millions of dollars every day through these same efficiencies.

USGBC is working with all stakeholders, including companies across all sectors of the building industry, to ensure that LEED remains the most widely used and accepted high performance building rating system in the country. Nearly 1,300 product manufacturers are members of the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees LEED. Manufacturers are the third largest segment of USGBC membership, behind architects and engineering firms, and builders and contractors.

The USGBC-IN Chapter consists of 5 regional branches and is available to support activities that promote sustainable development throughout our state.  Please logon to our website at www.usgbc-in.org to find out how you can be a part of the greening of Indiana.

Sincerely,

Daniel Overbey

2012 Chair, USGBC Indiana