The Green Building Initiative Successfully Completes ANSI Audit

PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwire - May 24, 2012) - The Green Building Initiative (GBI) recently received notification that the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) had completed review and approval of the GBI's revised process for development and maintenance of consensus standards for environmentally preferable design, construction and upkeep of buildings.

The GBI is a nonprofit organization that became an ANSI-Accredited Standards Developing Organization (SDO) in 2005, breaking new ground for the industry by being the first green building organization to publish an ANSI-Accredited Standard for commercial green building.

Officially named "ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings," this standard represents one of the most scientifically advanced and robust green building rating systems for the new construction or major renovation of commercial buildings in the U.S. It takes a holistic approach to green building with seven areas of assessment: Project Management, Site, Water, Energy, Emissions, Indoor Environment and Resources.

GBI President Ward Hubbell said, "This approval of our process enables the GBI to continue its leadership role accelerating the adoption of sustainable building practices across the U.S. The use of an inclusive, consensus-based process ensures a high level of confidence in our assessment and certification programs."

The ANSI/GBI standard was developed following ANSI's consensus-based guidelines, which are among the world's most respected for the development of consensus standards. A variety of stakeholders including sustainability experts, architects, engineers, and industry groups participated in its development including committee members listed here: http://www.thegbi.org/commercial/standards/technical-committee.asp.

ANSI is a nonprofit organization that accredits the procedures of standard-setting organizations, ensuring that characteristics and performance of products and services are consistent and credible.

The Green Building Initiative is a nonprofit organization and ANSI Standards Developer dedicated to accelerating the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches. For more information visit www.thegbi.org.