U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation. http://www.usgbc.org/ The USGBC works to promote sustainable building and has established a standardized certification system, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
The Grand Bay Coastal Resources Center was focused on creating a LEED certified facility from the beginning of the design phases. Working with our project architects, engineers and contractors the Center received a GOLD LEED certification.
The LEED green building certification program encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.
LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
LEED-certified buildings are designed to:
- Lower operating costs and increase asset value.
- Reduce waste sent to landfills.
- Conserve energy and water.
- Be healthier and safer for occupants.
- Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
- Qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives in hundreds of cities.
- Demonstrate an owner’s commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility
