ATLANTA – ASHRAE and the Green Building Initiative will work together to accelerate the adoption of sustainability principles in the built environment through a new agreement, which was approved by ASHRAE and by the GBI Board of Directors during winter meetings.

“ASHRAE supports a wide variety of programs that encourage the sustainable design and operation of buildings,” said Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “Tools such as GBI’s Green Globes rating system help to provide metrics through which building owners and operators can gauge a building’s sustainability performance. Pushing forward the built environment to improve sustainability will require a collaborative effort among a myriad of organizations. ASHRAE looks forward to collaborating with GBI and other organizations.”

The agreement calls for the two groups to promote the design, construction and operation of buildings that are energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible by providing education and training, and access to the Green Globes tool. The groups will also promote the link between sustainable design and actual performance outcomes and encourage and/or undertake research that identifies specific economic and environmental benefits of green building practices. Plus, the groups will support and promote green building standards, certification programs and rating systems.

“The GBI is delighted to finalize this agreement and begin working with ASHRAE on our shared goal of increasing sustainable building principles,” said Ward Hubbell, president of the GBI. “Improving the built environment is an enormous task and we can’t afford to just focus on new construction. An important aspect of this agreement is that both organizations will work to promote the importance of using actual performance data to ensure that our buildings are performing in an efficient and environmentally-friendly manner.”

Additional information is available at: http://www.thegbi.org.