The U.S. Green Building Council and the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Rating System

The U.S. Green Building Council brings together public and private sector leaders to promote sustainable building. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council represent all segments of the building industry. The Council's LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. It provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Depending on the number of environmental criteria that they satisfy, buildings may receive LEED ratings of Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. USGBC members continue to expand and adapt the LEED system, including developing pilot rating systems for existing building operations and commercial interiors projects. The USGBC web site, http://www.usgbc.org/, contains a wealth of information on green building and links to pertinent public and private sector web sites.

Several Federal facilities have already attained LEED ratings. For details about these facilities, click on the respective links below.

• Social Security Administration Annex Building in Baltimore, Maryland
• Social Security Administration Childcare Center in Woodlawn, Maryland
• U.S. Air Combat Command's Physical Fitness Center at Barksdale Air Force Base, LA
• Department of Energy Argonne National Laboratory's Central Supply Facility
• Great Lakes Naval Training Center - Bachelor Enlisted Quarters
• United States Courthouse and Federal Building in Youngstown, Ohio