The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has recommended to the Department of Energy (DOE) that federal government buildings should now use the Green Building Initiative's Green Globes 2010 or the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009 guidelines in new construction and renovations.
Currently, federal buildings must adhere to LEED guidelines, but the GSA began considering other green building certification systems in February of this year. The GSA's recommendation of Green Globes is a win for those who feel LEED has a monopoly on federal construction.
Third party certification systems like LEED and Green Globes help in measuring the federal government's reduction targets for water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions against industry standards, the GSA said. Agencies can use one of the two certification systems that best meet their building portfolios.
According to the GSA, other certification systems were not selected because they did not align with the government's requirements; however, the administration will conduct regular reviews to keep up with the latest green building tools. No one certification system meets all of the federal government's green building requirements. Green building certification systems are just one tool that GSA uses to cut costs and meet sustainability and economic performance goals, the GSA said in a press release.
