About | U.S. Green Building Council

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.

Green building is a win-win, offering both environmental and economic opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future demand for energy in the United States and a commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million jobs.

Who we are

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. Today we are 76 chapters, 13,000 member organizations and 188,000 LEED professionals strong that share the same vision of a sustainable built environment for all within the next generation.

What we do

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.

To transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

Buildings and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation.

Leading by example

At USGBC, we practice what we preach. Our headquarters, located in Washington, DC, is LEED Platinum. Request to tour our headquarters

• floor-to-ceiling glass windows that offer abundant natural lighting
• a two-story waterfall that brings the outdoors in and helps control indoor humidity
• an electronic dashboard system that provides real-time feedback on energy use

• reduce water use by 40 percent
• reduce energy use by more than 50 percent over a typical office