Green Building Initiative (GBI) Vice President for National Affairs Erin Schaffer participated in an event at the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters on Tuesday, March 18th, designed to highlight the Obama Administration’s commitment to promoting building construction projects that use green materials, while also supporting jobs in rural communities.
Titled the “White House Rural Council Workshop - Building with Wood: Jobs and the Environment,” the event was chaired by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Thomas J. Vilsack. GBI participated in this event to support the Administration’s efforts to demonstrate how use of domestic wood products can support green building, while enhancing job growth and protecting the environment.
The Administration highlighted how use of sustainably and responsibly harvested wood as a structural material in commercial buildings creates jobs, supports rural communities, and ensures continued investment in working forests, which are important carbon stores for North America.
Shaffer presented Secretary Vilsack with information on how the Green Building Initiative is promoting the goals of the workshop. “Our focus is not on wood construction per se, but more importantly on its role in carbon sequestration and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy,” she said.
GBI President Jerry Yudelson added, “Green building is ultimately about education. With more information on how our choices impact the environment and markets, we can make better-informed decisions. With our Green Globes rating system, GBI continues to support the use of life-cycle assessment in green building design, and we encourage design teams to consider a range of environmental impacts when designing a building, whether using wood, concrete or steel.”
About the Green Building Initiative
The GBI is a nonprofit organization and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standards Developer dedicated to accelerating the adoption of green building practices. Founded in 2004, the organization is the sole U.S. provider of the Green Globes® and federal Guiding Principles Compliance building certification programs. To learn more about the GBI, contact Jerry Yudelson or visit the GBI website, www.thegbi.org.
