Saturday, June 21, 2008

Mario Van Peebles Inducts USGBC and Lance Williams into the Environmental Hall of Fame
It is my honor to induct The US Green Building Council and Mr. Lance Williams Executive Director into the Environmental Hall of Fame. The U.S. Green Building Council is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings accessible to everyone within a generation.

USGBC is composed of more than 15,000 organizations from across the building industry that are working to advance structures that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. Members includes building owners and end-users, real estate developers, facility managers, architects, designers, engineers, contractors, product and building system manufacturers, government agencies, and nonprofits.

The U.S. Green Building Council certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods and is dedicated to expanding green building practices and education as well as expanding it’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. This Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

The mission statement of the USGBC is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

There are more than 70 regional USGBC chapters nationwide providing green building resources, education, and networking opportunities in their communities.

It is my great honor to ask Executive Director Lance Williams to come forward and receive his award.