Georgia's state legislature is considering a measure to require all state buildings to only use green building standards that permit the use of Georgia's lumber.
If passed, the law would effectively ban the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED program, which only permits lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council on all state building projects.
Other sustainability programs certify forests in Georgia, but most are not certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
One of the other certification programs, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, has been criticized by environmental groups for being too closely tied to the lumber industry.
The bill is headed to the state Senate for a vote.
Related Stories
| Aug 2, 2016
Top 130 Green Building Architecture Firms
Gensler, Stantec, and HOK top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest green building sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Sponsored | Green | Jul 29, 2016
Collaborating for a greener world
As one of the leading manufacturers of coating products in the world, Valspar is setting an example for the entire industry by incorporating best practices and materials into their coatings
Green Specifications | Jul 26, 2016
New Miami Beach law requires LEED certification on projects larger than 7,000 sf
LEED Silver the prescribed standard on buildings larger than 50,000 sf.
Green | Jul 18, 2016
Newark passes nation’s first ‘environmental justice’ ordinance
Requires city planning officials to get more information from developers to ensure healthy, sustainable projects.
Green | Jul 6, 2016
U.S. healthcare system’s GHG emissions rise 30% in past decade
If U.S. healthcare were a country, it would rank 13th in GHG emissions.
Green | Jul 1, 2016
Green Business Certification Inc. names Kirksey Architecture LEED Proven Provider
Kirksey is the first Houston-based firm with designation and role as high-quality LEED administrator
Green | Jul 1, 2016
Perkins Eastman pledges to use EDGE green building system for five upcoming international projects
The firm will partner with the International Finance Corporation to promote sustainable building in emerging markets like India and China.
Green | Jun 28, 2016
Green Breakthrough: The new invention behind sustainable temperature control
CallisonRTKL’s sustainable design expert Pablo La Roche shares Xylem, the latest innovation on creating thermal comfort.
Movers+Shapers | Jun 17, 2016
Hantz Woodlands brings thousands of trees to hard-pressed Detroit neighborhoods
One of the city's richest residents, John Hantz, is buying hundreds of acres of vacant property, tearing down dilapidated structures, and planting trees in the space.
