With their bold commitment to healthier,

more efficient, greener buildings for all,

USGBC members are creating a
lasting legacy for future generations
and for our planet.

legacy
U.S. Green Building Council

You never change

things by fighting
the existing reality.
To change something,
build a new model that
makes the existing
model obsolete.
Buckminster Fuller

Those who contemplate

the beauty of the Earth
find reserves of strength
that will endure as
long as life lasts.
Rachel Carson

%
73
41

Buildings account for

of energy consumption

%
13.6
13
%
40

of water use

of raw materials
consumed worldwide

The greatest threat to

our planet is the belief
that someone else
will save it.
Robert Swan

What we care about

most are the people inside
the buildings. healthy
places are a basic
human right.
Rick Fedrizzi

Buildings account for 38% of all u.s. carbon dioxide emissions.

LEED Gold buildings were found to have 34% lower greenhouse

gas emissions compared to the average commercial building.

For the sake of our

health, our children and
grandchildren and even our
economic well-being, we
must make protecting the
planet our top priority.
David Suzuki

You dont have to

move out of your
neighborhood to live
in a better one.
Majora Carter

energy use by

Green buildings can reduce

water use by

solid waste by

%
50
%
40
%
70

We are made wise

not by the recollection
of our past, but by the
responsibility for
our future.
George Bernard Shaw

We are not creatures

of circumstance;
we are creators of
circumstance.
Benjamin Disraeli

By 2015 an estimated 4048% of new nonresidential

construction by value will be green,

equating to a $120145 billion opportunity.

We have a choice to make

during our brief visit to this
beautiful blue and green
living planet: to hurt it
or to help it.
Ray Anderson

statistics credits
buildings account for 41% of energy consumption, by sector
National Trust for Historic Preservation (2011). The Greenest Building: Quantifying the
Environmental Value of Building Reuse.
buildings account for 13.6% of water use, (15 trillion gallons per year)
U.S. Geological Survey (2000). 2000 data.
buildings account for 40% of raw materials consumed worldwide,
(3 billion tons per year)
Lenssen and Roodman (1995). Worldwatch Paper 124: A Building Revolution: How
Ecology and Health Concerns are Transforming Construction. Worldwatch Institute.
buildings account for 38% of all u.s. carbon dioxide emissions.
Energy Information Administration (2008). Assumptions to the Annual Energy
Outlook.
leed gold buildings were found to have 34% lower greenhouse gas
emissions compared to the average commercial building.
U.S. Department of Energy (2011). Re-Assessing Green Building Performance: A Post
Occupancy Evaluation of 22 Buildings.
green buildings can reduce energy use by 50%
Turner ,C and Frankel, M. (2008). Energy performance of LEED for New Construction
buildings: Final report
green buildings can reduce water use by 40%
Kats, G. (2003) The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Building: A Report to
Californias Sustainable Building Task Force
green buildings can reduce solid waste by 70%
Kats, G. (2003) The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Building: A Report to
Californias Sustainable Building Task Force
by 2015, an estimated 40-48% of new nonresidential construction by value
will be green, equating to a $120-145 billion opportunity.
McGraw Hill Construction (2010). Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth.

photo credits
p.2: taipei 101 tower. Taipei, Taiwan. leed platinum (existing buildings).
Photo credit: Taipei Financial Center Corp.
p.5: foshan lingnan tiandi development. Foshan, China. leed gold
(neighborhood development). Photo credit: SOL & (Shui On Land)
p.8: adlai e. stevenson high school. Lincolnshire, IL. leed gold for existing
buildings. Photo credit: James Steinkamp Photography
p.11: dockside green. Victoria, BC, Canada. leed platinum (neighborhood
development). Photo credit: Terry Lam
p.12: foshan lingnan tiandi development. Foshan, China. leed gold
(neighborhood development). Photo credit: SOL & (Shui On Land)
p.16: whistler crossing. Riverdale, IL. leed certified (neighborhood
development). Photo courtesy of Farr Associates
p.20: park library. San Francisco, CA. leed gold (commercial interiors).
Photographer: David Wakely

start
your
legacy

usgbc.org/membership