ASHRAE and GBI agree to promote building sustainability.
Press Release Summary:
Through memorandum of understanding, ASHRAE and GBI will work to adopt sustainability principles in built environment. Both will promote design, construction, and operation of energy-efficient buildings, provide access to Green Globes tool, and promote link between sustainable design and actual performance outcomes. They will address research to identify economic/environmental benefits of green building practices as well as support/promote standards, certification programs, and rating systems.
Original Press Release:
ASHRAE, GBI Pledge to Collaborate to Promote Building Sustainability
ATLANTA - Through a new memorandum of understanding, ASHRAE and the Green Building Initiative (GBI) will work together to accelerate the adoption of sustainability principles in the built environment.
The agreement was approved by ASHRAE and by the GBI Board of Directors during their winter meetings.
"ASHRAE supports a wide variety of programs that encourage the sustainable design and operation of buildings," Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president, said. "Tools such as GBI's Green Globes rating system help to provide metrics through which building owners and operators can gauge a building's sustainability performance. Pushing forward the built environment to improve sustainability will require a collaborative effort among a myriad of organizations. ASHRAE looks forward to collaborating with GBI and other organizations."
"The GBI is delighted to finalize this agreement and begin working with ASHRAE on our shared goal of increasing sustainable building principles," said Ward Hubbell, President of the GBI. "Improving the built environment is an enormous task and we can't afford to just focus on new construction. An important aspect of this agreement is that both organizations will work to promote the importance using actual performance data to ensure that our buildings are performing in an efficient and environmentally-friendly manner."
Specifically, the agreement calls for the two groups to
Promote the design, construction and operation of buildings that are energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible by, among other things, providing education and training;
Provide access to the Green Globes tool;
Promote the link between sustainable design and actual performance outcomes;
Encourage and/or undertake research that identifies specific economic and environmental benefits of green building practices;
Support and promote green building standards, certification programs and rating systems.
ABOUT ASHRAE: ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.
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.
