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
| Oct 25, 2012
City Design Leader Enquist honored for conservation leadership
Openlands, a Chicago-based metropolitan conservation organization, presented its 2012 Conservation Leadership Award to Philip Enquist, FAIA, Partner in Charge of Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP’s global City Design Practice.
| Oct 3, 2012
Fifth public comment period now open for update to USGBC's LEED Green Building Program
LEED v4 drafts and the public comment tool are now available on the newly re-launched, re-envisioned USGBC.org website.
| Sep 26, 2012
EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITY – BD+C Greenbuild 2012 Issue
Your firm is invited to contribute to this special issue, which will be distributed at Greenbuild San Francisco, Nov. 14-16, 2012.
| Sep 7, 2012
Net-zero energy pioneers on the el-hi frontier
Getting to net-zero is not easy, but the promise of eliminating energy bills and using state-of-the-art technology as a learning lab can make a compelling case to reach for net-zero.
| Sep 7, 2012
The keys to success in the K-12 school market
When educators and school administrators describe their vision for new K-12 school buildings as ‘21st-century learning spaces,’ they’re not exaggerating. Many new schools are truly different in concept from their counterparts of only a few years ago.
| Jul 25, 2012
Contract awarded for Gaillard Municipal Auditorium renovations in Charleston, S.C.
Seeking LEED Silver certification, the project will begin in August and is slated for completion in December 2014.
| Jun 25, 2012
Living green wall planned for InterContinental Chicago
Project, with price tag of $2 million to $3 million, needs council approval.
| Jun 14, 2012
Sustainability consultant’s keynote highlights the evolution of LEED green building in Spain
Sustainability planning, green building and water efficiency consultant, Jerry Yudelson keynoted the celebration of Spain’s first LEED Platinum Municipal Green Building.
| Jun 13, 2012
Free webinar on Designing and Building Green Schools scheduled for June 20
USGBC Center for Green Schools and other experts to present practical tips.
| Jun 8, 2012
Living Building Challenge wins the 2012 Buckminster Fuller Challenge
The Living Building Challenge was chosen from a pool of 122 of entries from around the world.
