Green Buildings

Building Green
Provides information to help building-industry professionals and policy makers improve the environmental performance, and reduce the adverse impacts, of buildings

Green Building Alliance
The Green Building Alliance is a nonprofit organization that integrates environmentally responsible and high performance design, construction and operating practices into the Greater Pittsburgh market. Their efforts are currently directed toward areas that represent ongoing challenges, such as making the economic case for green building, removing policy and code barriers to green building, and expanding beyond green building design and construction to green operations.

Green Building Pages
Enables building industry professionals and consumers seeking a healthy, sustainable lifestyle to choose building materials that preserve health, the environment, and whose production and manufacture processes promote social equity and economic sustainability.

Green Communities
The Green Communities organization strives to make affordable, green housing available nation-wide. The web site contains a variety of resources on the topic, including links, articles, model projects, events, and much more.

Green Globes
The Green Globes system is a revolutionary building environmental design and management tool. It delivers an online assessment protocol, rating system and guidance for green building design, operation and management

Healthy Building Network
"The Healthy Building Network (HBN) is a national network of green building professionals, environmental and health activists, socially responsible investment advocates and others who are interested in promoting healthier building materials as a means of improving public health and preserving the global environment." The web site contains alternatives for select building materials, an overview of life cycle analysis, and information on the changes occurring in the building industry.

Regreen
The American Society of Interior Designers Foundation and the U.S. Green Building Council have partnered on the development of best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects.

Whole Building Design Guide
Web-based portal providing government and industry practitioners with one-stop access to up-to-date information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria and technology from a 'whole buildings' perspective.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, the LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. The certification has four levels (basic, silver, gold, and platinum certifications) based upon the number of green components incorporated in the building.  LEED has rating systems and certifications not just for new construction, but also for existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell, homes, and neighborhood development. Visit this site to find out more about green buildings and how LEED can improve efficiency, aesthetics and reduce the environmental impact in nearly any constructed space!