The USGBC community has direct access to the many conversations, communities and commitments that are part of how we’re moving green building forward. At the top of that list is LEED, where your involvement has led to LEED buildings being designed, built and operated in every state and in 69 countries. You have moved USGBC’s programs forward at every opportunity, from a sole focus on new construction in LEED v.2.0 to the development of LEED 2009, a rating system that applies throughout the lifecycle of buildings and across multiple market sectors, and focuses all rating systems on the building impacts that matter most – energy efficiency and climate change. Member participation, whether on committees, working groups, or during the public comment periods, will ensure that the LEED version that goes to member ballot in October sets a new bar. Status of LEED 2009.

Without question, it is the passionate involvement of our members that drives our success. The expertise our members lend to LEED’s development carries over into the larger arena of green building education at all levels. The knowledge and leadership that members share through LEED Workshops and the diverse Education Provider Program encourage market uptake, drive policy development, and educate the many stakeholders in green building as to why it matters, and how to design, build, operate and finance their projects. More member involvement opportunities.

But while “being green” is an idea that has clearly entered the mainstream, seeing real results on a large scale is still an ambitious goal. Only 3% of new commercial buildings in 2007 are estimated to have met minimum certification levels, and only 0.2% of new residential construction is built green. It’s clear that the USGBC community must step up our work to increase sustainable practices in new construction, existing building conversions, neighborhood developments, our children’s schools, our public buildings, and every aspect of the built environment. To that end, USGBC has completed our next strategic plan, which will carry us through 2013. It has been developed with an emphasis on extending the benefits of green building beyond the building footprint and into our cities and communities, and on the reduction and eventual elimination of the building industry’s contributions to climate change and natural resource depletion.

At the center of the strategic plan is our strategic imperative of accelerating green building demand, delivery, and accessibility. It is built on our guiding principles and introduces one more: the need to elevate social equity as a value and outcome integral to sustainable built environments. The plan lays out a set of clearly defined strategic initiatives defining how we will focus our talent and resources. It will function as our roadmap for delivering immediate and measureable results across the wide scope of work that is necessary for true market transformation.

» Read the Strategic Plan (PDF)- www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=4708

» Find out more about how you can take part in shaping the future of USGBC and the green building movement as a whole- www.gypsumrecycling.bizcommunicate.usgbc.org/newsletters/USGBC_Update/0922_long.html#memberinvolvement