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GREEN BUILDING INITIATIVE™ FIRST GREEN BUILDING ORGANIZATION TO BECOME ANSI ACCREDITED NATIONAL STANDARDS DEVELOPER
Submits Application for Green Globes™ to Become an American National Standard

PORTLAND, OR (September 22, 2005) — Today, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) formally recognized the Green Building Initiative™ as an accredited national standards developer - making the Green Building Initiative the first green building organization permitted to develop, maintain and withdraw American national standards.

On the heels of this announcement, the Green Building Initiative submitted an application to establish Green Globes™ - the first Web based environmental design and rating system for commercial buildings in the United States - as an American National Standard (ANS).

"ANSI accreditation demonstrates that the Green Building Initiative is committed to the ideals of openness, balance and consensus," said Ward Hubbell, executive director of the non-profit Green Building Initiative. "We are happy to be recognized as an ANSI standards developer, but eager to proceed to the next step in this process by establishing Green Globes as an American National Standard. Doing so will take us one step closer to our goal of increasing adoption of green building practices among mainstream builders, architects and developers. As an American National Standard, Green Globes will help users integrate sustainable design principles into their buildings with the knowledge that the standard is backed by the best science and consensus-based development procedures."

In accordance with ANSI requirements, the Green Building Initiative is now assembling a technical committee - which will include a balance of users, producers and interested third parties - to oversee the standard. The entire process of establishing Green Globes as a national standard is estimated to take up to two years. GBI's ANSI-approved procedures will guide technical committee review, research, revision and voting on the standard, all in an effort to reach consensus on the final document. GBI will require the committee to accommodate input and objections from all stakeholders. Once finalized, ANSI will evaluate the evidence of consensus and the final standard may claim designation as an American National Standard.

"GBI's leadership in pursuing ANSI accreditation for Green Globes is already having a profound and positive impact in the green building field," said Paul Bertram, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, a member of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council, a vice president on the executive board of the Construction Specifications Institute, and a board member of the Green Building Initiative. "Not only is this good for builders, architects and designers, it's also good for the green building movement itself."

Green Globes for new construction - marketed in the United States by the Green Building Initiative - is an adaptation of a system that has been widely used by the public and private sectors in Canada for several years. In Canada, Green Globes is one of only two green building rating systems recognized by the Canadian government. Under the trade name Go Green Comprehensive it is also the basis of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Canada's national energy and environmental program for existing buildings.

"We believe that Green Globes is a revolutionary tool that will help transform the way the industry approaches green building," added Hubbell. "Green Globes' unique selling points are its web platform and its capabilities as an environmental design tool. Not only can designers use Green Globes to rate their buildings, they can also use it to design environmental features into their building in a user-friendly and affordable way."

The Green Building Initiative is a not-for-profit organization supported by a broad cross section of building professionals, producers and interested third parties dedicated to bringing green building practices into the mainstream.

About ANSI

ANSI facilitates the development of American National Standards (ANS) by accrediting procedures of standards developing organizations (SDOs). These groups work cooperatively to develop voluntary national consensus standards. Accreditation by ANSI signifies that the procedures used by the standards body in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute's essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process. For more information: www.ansi.org.