U.S. GBC Federal Summit convened

U.S. Green Building Council 2009 Federal Summit convened May 14 in Washington, D.C.

By Source: U.S. Green Building Council May 15, 2009

The U.S. Green Building Council’s annual Federal Summit convened May 14 for a daylong exchange of ideas on how to best meet the goals of increased sustainability in existing buildings and communities to significantly impact the environment and economy.

High level officials from throughout the federal sector, including Senior White House Advisor Nancy Sutley, Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, discussed topics such as leveraging the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to achieve environmental goals, implementing technical solutions to meet the energy efficiency goals set out in Energy Independence and Security Act, and updates on LEED and other U.S. GBC activities. The summit took place at the Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. GBC 2009 Federal Summit provided a forum for discussing global climate change and energy dependence, and for keeping government leaders abreast of emergent green building initiatives, tools, and technologies. This full-day event will also include the latest updates on the launch of LEED Version 3 and other U.S. GBC green building programs.

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO 2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption, and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

The 2009 Federal Summit marks the launch of U.S. GBC’s new Federal Green Building Leadership Award program. For nearly a decade, the federal government has pioneered the use of LEED and innovative green building initiatives to lead by example in advancing the sustainability of the built environment. Kevin Kampshcroer, Acting Director, Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings for the U.S. General Services Administration, and Mark Ginsburg, Senior Executive, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for the U.S. Dept. of Energy, were recognized for their outstanding leadership in and dedication to green building.