Industry Standards
Green credentialing organization launched
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), has been established with the support of the U.S. Green Building Council to administer credentialing programs related to green building practice and standards. GBCI was created to develop and administer credentialing programs aimed at improving green building practice.
GBCI will ensure that the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) program will continue to be developed in accordance with best practices for credentialing programs. To underscore this commitment, GBCI will undergo the ANSI accreditation process for personnel certification agencies complying with ISO Standard 17024.
This month, USGBC will transfer responsibility for the ongoing administration of the LEED Professional Accreditation program to GBCI. GBCI will manage all aspects of the LEED AP program including exam development, registration and delivery. GBCI will also oversee the development of the maintenance program for LEED AP credential holders. The GBCI Web site, www.gbci.org , provides credential-related information for LEED Accredited Professionals and interested candidates. For more information, see www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3360
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Corporate Ecosystems Services Review debuts
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The World Resources Institute (WRI), Meridian Institute, and World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) have launched a set of guidelines to help companies proactively develop strategies to manage risks and opportunities arising from ecosystem degradation.
The guidelines, called the "Corporate Ecosystem Services Review," were d’road-tested’ by five WBCSD members - Akzo Nobel, BC Hydro, Mondi, Rio Tinto, and Syngenta for input.
Ecosystems provide companies with a wide variety of benefits or services including freshwater, wood, pollination, climate regulation, and protection from natural hazards, to name a few.
The guidelines can help companies anticipate new markets and government policies that may emerge in response to ecosystem degradation; strengthen corporate environmental impact assessments by adding considerations traditional methods may overlook; and help companies better manage conflicts over resources, identifying options for better trade-offs between ecosystem services.
Some road-testers, such as Mondi and BC Hydro, used the guidelines to gain insight into the direct implications that ecosystem trends pose for them. Other road-testers, such as Akzo Nobel and Syngenta, applied the methodology to understand the risks faced by a segment of their customers due to ecosystem degradation and, in turn, discovered opportunities for new products or services that address these risks. The guidelines profile these and other road-test experiences.
For a copy of The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, visit www.wri.org/ecosystems/esr
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Raising fuel standards
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is raising the 2008 renewable fuels standard (RFS), which determines how much non-petroleum fuel will vehicles, to 7.76%.
Last November, EPA announced a RFS of 4.66%, which mandated at least 5.4 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into the nation's transportation fuels this year. However, EPA is now increasing the standard to 7.76% to comply with the new minimum of 9.0 billion gallons of renewable fuel.
EISA increases the overall volume of renewable fuels that must be blended each year, reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA annually calculates the percentage-based standard, which applies to refiners, importers and non-oxygenate blenders of gasoline. For more information, see epa.gov/otaq/renewablefuels/
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IPD launches environmental code
LONDON – IPD has developed the Environment Code to help organizations deliver high quality environmental performance information about their occupied real estate.
The Environment Code measures the environmental performance of corporate buildings in accordance with emerging good practice. By creating a common terminology, the Code enables property executives to compare the environmental performance of buildings anywhere in the world. It is applicable to a broad range of property types from retail shops and offices to hospitals, universities, hotels, and airports. For more information or to download the code, see www.ipdoccupiers.com/Default.aspx?TabId=1632
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Independent certification for carbon-offset products debuts
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. —The Center for Resource Solutions announced that Green-e® Climate, the nation’s first independent certification for carbon offset products, has certified products offered by retailers 3Degrees, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Community Energy, and Renewable Choice Energy.
These products meet or exceed Green-e Climate’s strict standards for project verification and measurement, consumer transparency, and truth-in-marketing claims, and will be granted use of the Green-e Climate logo. For more information, see www.resource-solutions.org/where/pressreleases/2008/022608.htm
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Online guide to GREENGUARD recipients
MARIETTA, Ga. – GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI), a national certifier of chemical emissions from building products and furnishings, is expanding its certification efforts to include computers and other electronic devices. Lenovo’s M57/M57P “Eco” is the first computing device to attain this certification.
GEI runs the only program in the United States that certifies computers, printers and other electronic devices for chemical emissions. The GREENGUARD program measures chemical “outgassing” of the product during normal use and operation. Measured emissions are then compared to an extensive list of publicly available short term and long term health risk exposure levels available from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety Health Administration (OSHA), the state of California, and CDC’s Registry of Toxic Substances.
An online guide of GREENGUARD Certified products is available at www.greenguard.org at no cost to the user.
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Managing eco risks
WASHINGTON, D.C. – To prepare businesses for this new landscape, three organizations today launched a set of guidelines designed to help companies proactively develop strategies to manage risks and opportunities arising from ecosystem degradation.
The guidelines, called the Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, were developed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in collaboration with the Meridian Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Five WBCSD members - Akzo Nobel, BC Hydro, Mondi, Rio Tinto, and Syngenta - "road-tested" the methodology and provided input to its design.
These five companies found that the guidelines can provide a number of other benefits as well. They can help companies anticipate new markets and government policies that may emerge in response to ecosystem degradation. They can strengthen corporate environmental impact assessments by adding considerations traditional methods may overlook. They also can help companies better manage conflicts over resources, identifying options for better trade-offs between ecosystem services.
For a copy of The Corporate Ecosystem Services Review, visit www.wri.org/ecosystems/esr
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Standards needed
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Contrary to popular opinion, say researchers at Burnham-Moore’s Center for Real Estate, University of San Diego, the green movement is not driven by the public sector.
Developers are leading the way and the typical tenants are private and market-based. In addition, some cities – such as Boston and Toronto – are providing incentives for sustainability-focused facilities.
The biggest challenges to going green, say the researchers, could be addressed through increased market transparency and agreed-upon standards, at least nationally if not internationally. Such a rating system must provide information on building adaptability and resource impact. For more information, see www.sandiego.edu/business/documents/USDNormMillerHandout1.pdf
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