(Marketwire) - A new study prepared for the United States Department of Defense (DoD) confirms the importance of green-building certification programs as tools to reduce energy use and other operational costs.

The report, produced by the National Research Council of the National Academies and based on literature review, marks a milestone for Green Globes®, a certification program offered by the Green Building Initiative (GBI), a Portland-based nonprofit.

"That the Department of Defense, the largest single owner of facilities among all federal agencies, explicitly recognized Green Globes is a milestone for us and for the evolution of green building," said Bruce Carocci, GBI Executive Vice President and General Manager. "It's the kind of real-world validation of our 'results-driven' programs that we have worked toward since we first brought Green Globes to the U.S. market."

The study supports many of Green Globes' key value propositions, including that, on average, high performance buildings use 5-30% less energy and 8-11% less water than "conventional buildings." The study also found that incremental costs to design and construct green buildings are relatively small when compared to total life-cycle costs.

"Since the first Green Globes certification in 2006, GBI has completed more than 750 building certifications, for both new and existing buildings, more than the U.S. Green Building Council had certified at the same point in their history," said GBI founder and president Ward Hubbell. "What this shows us is that there is a continuing demand for green building certification and real openness to practical and credible alternatives to LEED."

About Green Globes®
Green Globes is a web-based program for green building guidance and certification that includes an onsite assessment by a third party. Backed by excellent customer support, Green Globes offers a streamlined and affordable alternative to LEED as a way to advance the overall environmental performance and sustainability of commercial buildings.

The program has modules supporting new construction – Green Globes for New Construction (NC), existing buildings – Green Globes for Continual Improvement of Existing Buildings (CIEB), and Healthcare buildings – Green Globes CIEB for Healthcare. It is suitable for a wide range of buildings from offices, multi-family structures, hospitals, and institutional buildings such as courthouses, schools, and universities.

Green Building Initiative

Green Building Initiative

Green Globes®, a certification program offered by the Green Building Initiative (GBI), a Portland-based nonprofit

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