Welcome to U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation. This is the place to:

» Certify your green building
» Join USGBC as an organization
» Join a chapter as an individual
» Sign up for courses and workshops
» Purchase LEED Reference Guides
» Register for Greenbuild
» Sign up for e-newsletters
» Become a LEED AP
» Learn about green building



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Highlights

Formal guidance and requirements for district-heated or cooled buildings

Buildings connected to district networks for heating or cooling now have detailed guidance for compliance with all prerequisites and credits in the Energy & Atmosphere section. Special attention is given to EA prerequisite 2: minimum energy performance, and EA credit 1: optimize energy performance. » Learn More

Greenbuild365 Relaunches: Online Portal for Green Building Education

Easily search USGBC's core LEED courses and Education Provider Program courses that extend beyond LEED. Download "green bytes" - podcasts, articles and videos on green building. Access plenaries and master speaker presentations from Greenbuild year-round. » Start Now

Testimony Before Congress: Green Buildings Among Solutions to Climate Change

USGBC testified before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming on May 14. The testimony stressed the importance of green building, green retrofits, and green schools in mitigating climate change. » Read More

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Templates Available

New submittal templates in LEED Online offer clearer guidance for projects (including multi-tenant buildings), repeatable requirements, exemptions from certain submittals, and pre-screenings for a valid performance period. » Learn More

Studies Confirm Certified Buildings Outperform Peers in Energy Savings and Sale, Rental, and Occupancy Rates

Two recently released studies, one by the New Buildings Institute and one by CoStar Group, have validated what USGBC members have been saying all along: third-party-certified buildings outperform their conventional counterparts across a wide variety of metrics. » Read More

More from USGBC
Build Green Schools
Green Home Guide
Greenbuild Expo
Greenbuild 365
USGBC Logo

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization that certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. USGBC is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, and its LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™.

LEED Logo

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

LEED AP Logo

LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) have demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building techniques, the LEED Green Building Rating System, and the certification process. The LEED AP program is administered by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), which was established with the support of USGBC to allow for objective, balanced management of the credentialing program.