GSA seeks input on green certification programs

The General Services Administration (GSA) is looking for public input on the LEED, Green Globes, and Living Building Chalenge to give to the Dept. of Energy on how to best use certification systems.

March 12, 2013

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has announced it is seeking additional input from the public regarding the federal government’s use of third-party green building certification systems, which reflect building energy efficiency. GSA published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comments through April 6, 2013, on how the federal government can best use certification systems to measure the design and performance of the federal government’s construction and major modernization projects. Federal construction and modernization projects must adhere to the government’s own green building requirements, and third party certification systems should help in measuring effectiveness and performance.

GSA is currently evaluating three certification systems for green building standards, including the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED 2009, the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes, and the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge. After the public comment period, GSA will use that feedback and make a recommendation to the Energy Department, which could include one system, multiple systems, or no system.