USGBC & GBCI Expand Resilience Resources for Green Building

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) outlined an expanded suite of programs and resources focused on improving building and community resilience in the face of climate risks. While governments and businesses focus on economic recovery, more frequent and severe climate events threaten to interrupt progress. Green building helps companies and communities adapt to and mitigate the effects of these growing climate concerns. The LEED for Cities and Communities program outlines options to enhance resilience beyond a single building. More than 110 cities and communities have certified. GBCI integrates resilience strategies across several rating systems. RELi takes a holistic approach to resilience and helps developers, companies, city planners and others assess and plan for acute hazards. LEED credits can also count toward RELi certification. PEER serves as a roadmap for designing and operating resilient and reliable power systems and microgrids and has more than 30 certified projects that serve more than seven million people. SITES focuses on creating regenerative landscapes and ecologically resilient communities and has nearly 150 projects participating. Data will define the future of green building, which is why USGBC is working with Coastal Risk Consulting to deliver a RiskFootprint for buildings, communities and cities that provides a climate risk analysis. The service will integrate with LEED, Arc and GBCI rating systems to help assess a project’s vulnerability. USGBC offers courses from experts working on resilience. USGBC will also open a call for ideas on enhancing resilience across the green building industry. GBCI is also developing a new RELi professional credential expected to be ready in 2021. USGBC works with federal, state and local governments and jurisdictions to advocate for policies, guidance and incentives that support green buildings and communities. USGBC will leverage its network of members, partners and LEED users to build a community of leaders for resilient buildings, communities and cities. USGBC will establish partnerships with a variety of organizations committed to advancing resilience. The resilience offerings are part of USGBC’s reimagined vision and economic recovery strategy and  can also influence how companies and governments respond to social and economic disruptions.