US Green Building Council (Wisconsin)

Better buildings are our legacy.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and its community are changing the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated. We believe in better buildings; places that complement our environment and enhance our communities. Places that give people better, brighter, healthier spaces to live, work and play.

In 1993, Rick Fedrizzi, David Gottfried and Mike Italiano established the U.S. Green Building Council. Their mission: to promote sustainability in the building and construction industry. That April, representatives from approximately 60 firms and a few nonprofit organizations met in the boardroom of the American Institute of Architects for the council's founding meeting. It was there that ideas were first aired for an open and balanced coalition spanning the entire building industry and a green building rating system.

Today, USGBC's constituency includes builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofits, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students. Since its unveiling in March 2000, the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system has singled out commercial, institutional and residential projects noteworthy for their stellar environmental and health performance in both the United States and abroad.

USGBC is made up of tens of thousands of member organizations, chapters and student and community volunteers that are moving the building industry forward in a way that has never been seen before.

We are a diverse group of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofits, teachers and students, lawmakers and citizens that share the same vision of a sustainable built environment for all within the next generation. Today we are 76 chapters, 12,870 member organizations and 197,000 LEED professionals strong.

We are transforming the building landscape in a number of ways. Here is some of our best known work:

LEED
The most widely recognized and widely used green building program across the globe. LEED is certifying 1.5 million square feet of building space each day in 135 countries. LEED is a certification program for buildings, homes and communities that guides the design, construction, operations and maintenance. Today, more than 54,000 projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 10.1 billion square feet of construction space.

Greenbuild International Conference & Expo
The world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. Each year, tens of thousands of professionals from all over the world attend this can't-miss event.

Advocacy
At every level of government, USGBC provides policymakers and community leaders with the tools, strategies and resources they need to inspire action toward a sustainable built environment.

Credentials
The LEED Green Associate credential and the various LEED AP credentials offer professionals a designation designed to help them stand out in the building industry. The LEED Green Associate and LEED AP credentials help demonstrate knowledge in sustainable design, construction, operations and maintenance of buildings and communities.

Education
USGBC provides green building educational programs in a variety of formats for professionals from all sectors of the building industry. Thousands of designers, builders, suppliers and managers have attended our seminars. All USGBC educational offerings support the LEED professional credentials

Chapters
Through an actively engaged network of over 76 regional USGBC chapter organizations, our reach is nationwide with resources, education and networking opportunities in every community.