The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently released its second installment of the LEED in Motion report series: Places and Policies.
The report states that there are nearly 60,000 LEED green building projects across the globe, spanning 10.6 billion square feet. Notably, Canada, India, China, the United Arab Emirates and Brazil lead the way for countries with the highest number of projects outside the U.S.
Available exclusively to USGBC's 13,000 member organizations, the LEED in Motion report series is aimed at equipping green building professionals, advocates and proponents with the insight needed to make a strong case for sustainable building activity. The second report in the series, LEED in Motion: Places and Policies, details the global, regional and local growth of LEED and outlines the policies and mechanisms supporting it.
"This LEED in Motion report outlines the global, regional and local impact of LEED and the policy work that is driving it," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "LEED was not designed with a single paradigm, project or country in mind. It's adaptable and flexible and changes with the market. And it's a testament to the leaders around the world who use it."
Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the leader behind the City of Boston's accomplished green building efforts, wrote in his introductory statement in the report, "I hope you'll join me in advocating for better buildings. As citizens, as taxpayers, as idealists and as human beings: we deserve them."
The first section of the report showcases in-depth statistics and graphics on LEED projects and areas of growth around the world, with a sub-section for projects in the U.S. as well as global projects. Canada leads the way in LEED projects outside the U.S. with 4,375 projects, followed by India with 1,586, China with 1,282, UAE with 816 and Brazil with 717 LEED-certified green building projects.
The second section examines domestic and international policies and partnerships that support the framework of LEED and drive global progress. 400+ localities have LEED-specific policies in place. Globally, there are nearly 100 green building councils in various stages of development, a LEED International Roundtable with members from 30 countries and newly launched Alternative Compliance Paths and Regional Priority Credits for LEED, which provide flexible, regionally-focused approaches to LEED credits for projects outside the U.S.
LEED in Motion: Places and Policies also features extensive interviews with green building leaders and advocates and LEED project spotlights, including the LEED Platinum TaiPei 101 tower in Taiwan, the LEED Gold Treasury Building in Washington, D.C., and the LEED Platinum King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. The report also showcases policy highlights, detailing key policies driving LEED.
"LEED is a global phenomenon," said Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED, USGBC. "People spend 90% of their lives indoors; a healthy, resource-friendly and environmentally sound indoor environment contributes to the health, happiness and well-being of people and is something people from countries across the globe are finding value in."
USGBC will release the final LEED in Motion report, Impacts and Innovation, later this year.
