changing the world

Heads up – we know we’re changing the world when people start fighting back! – Jodi

From Marisa Long of the USGBC

By now, many of you have seen the unabashed false claims that came out in a press release last week from the fictitious organization called the “Environmental Policy Alliance." Rest assured, USGBC is responding to each media inquiry on an individual basis and addressing these attacks head on.

As a member of the USGBC community, here are some key points for you to use if you are getting questions:

The LEED rating system has spurred explosive growth in energy-efficient buildings, which has supported almost eight million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. LEED certification saves tax payer dollars by conserving energy and water, which reduces water and utility bills. LEED buildings can also be built for little to no upfront additional costs.

The claims made by the fictitious organization “Environmental Policy Alliance” are false. As a recent report by the District of Columbia states, Washington’s commercial buildings are exceptionally efficient, scoring on average 77 out of 100 on the ENERGY STAR scale, well above the national median score of 50. Commercial buildings in the District of Columbia have reduced their energy consumption by an average of six percent from 2010 to 2012. These positive results are due in large part to the District’s use of LEED, the most widely used global green building program. To read more about LEED buildings in the DC area at USGBC’s green building platform, visit GBIG here: Washington, DC. And here is a link to the District Department of Environment release the Alliance references: http://ddoe.dc.gov/release/district-releases-benchmarking-pe….

This “alliance” claims that LEED buildings are using more energy but when reporters have asked them to provide the LEED buildings, the alliance has not been able to do so. This organization is backed by front groups run by Richard Berman, a notorious DC lobbyist who works with special interests under the guise of policy and research institutes. You can see what the Boston Globe has to say about Berman and his history of attacking nonprofit organizations on behalf of special interest groups:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/05/18/corpora…. Also check out a recent 60 Minutes piece about Richard Berman. You can learn more at: www.BermanExposed.com.

The article that seems to be circulating most heavily is from the Daily Caller. http://dailycaller.com/2014/03/02/report-dcs-green-approved-…. We encourage members of the USGBC community to share the truth on these claims in the comments section of this article as you/your company deem appropriate.

If you are contacted by any media, you can put them in touch with me directly. Please feel free to reach out to us with any additional questions as well.

Thank you,
Marisa

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One comment

  • USGBC should not be a bit surprised that the Daily Caller is the news outlet most widely circulating the bogus report from the anti-environmental front group LEED Exposed. Fortunately Marisa Long of USGBC has traced that report back to Rick Berman of Center for Consumer Freedom. What Long may not know is that Berman’s former “director of research,” David Martosko, was hand-picked by Daily Caller owner Tucker Carlson to be its executive editor until Martosko resigned in disgrace after evidence surfaced that he had falsified a story about a Democratic congressman supposedly paying for prostitutes. Martosko’s conduct was no surprise either: Back when he worked for Berman, Martosko posed as a radical animal rights activist in a failed attempt to stir up violence (http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/03/david-martosko-daily-caller-humane-society-animal-rights-facebook ). Tucker Carlson remains good friends with Berman and regularly pushes out bogus reports from his panorama of front groups.

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