{"id":134,"date":"2014-03-06T13:21:15","date_gmt":"2014-03-06T13:21:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=134"},"modified":"2015-02-16T21:05:18","modified_gmt":"2015-02-16T21:05:18","slug":"changing-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=134","title":{"rendered":"changing the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heads up \u2013 we know we\u2019re changing the world when people start fighting back! – Jodi<\/p>\n

From Marisa Long<\/a> of the USGBC<\/strong><\/p>\n

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 \u201cEnvironmental Policy Alliance." Rest assured, USGBC is responding to each media inquiry on an individual basis and addressing these attacks head on.<\/p>\n

As a member of the USGBC community, here are some key points for you to use if you are getting questions:<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The claims made by the fictitious organization \u201cEnvironmental Policy Alliance\u201d are false. As a recent report by the District of Columbia states, Washington\u2019s 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\u2019s use of LEED, the most widely used global green building program. To read more about LEED buildings in the DC area at USGBC\u2019s 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\u2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This \u201calliance\u201d 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:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/politics\/2013\/05\/18\/corpora\u2026<\/a>. Also check out a recent 60 Minutes piece about Richard Berman. You can learn more at: www.BermanExposed.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The article that seems to be circulating most heavily is from the Daily Caller. http:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2014\/03\/02\/report-dcs-green-approved-\u2026<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Thank you,
\nMarisa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Heads up \u2013 we know we\u2019re changing the world when people start fighting back! – Jodi From Marisa Long of the USGBC By now, many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-critical-commentary","category-personal-reflections"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p40KlT-2a","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":43,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=43","url_meta":{"origin":134,"position":0},"title":"LEED and “certifiable”","author":"greenerjsa","date":"October 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This is my perspective on some legislative language in NYS. I wrote this in early 2009, and it still applies to green building goal setting. Being \"certifiable\" means you have already committed to doing the work, paying design professionals, ensuring the work is done properly (through documentation, energy modeling, commissioning,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Green Building Tools"","block_context":{"text":"Green Building Tools","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=5"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1968,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=1968","url_meta":{"origin":134,"position":1},"title":"To LEED or Not to LEED\u2026","author":"greenerjsa","date":"August 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Oh, such a loaded title. Loaded because of the moment we find ourselves in. Part of this written reflection is based on my own work in updating contracts and guidance documents to help staff achieve our goals for better buildings and transformational achievements in energy, health, and carbon reductions. Part\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Critical commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Critical commentary","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/nested-300x225.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":167,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=167","url_meta":{"origin":134,"position":2},"title":"Local impact or changing the world?","author":"greenerjsa","date":"February 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m going through a point in my professional career and personal passion when I am striving to have a local effect, and making some small bits of progress, but frustrated that I cannot seem to engage in the broader arenas where that effect could be \u201cleveraged\u201d.\u00a0 That\u2019s the current, jargon,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "community"","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"2014 GB2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2bgreener.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/2014-GB2-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":427,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=427","url_meta":{"origin":134,"position":3},"title":"Heading to Greenbuild","author":"greenerjsa","date":"November 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm lucky enough that part of my job description includes creating partnerships between DASNY and the USGBC, and I have been able to attend Greenbuild for the last eight or so years. \u00a0It has been well worth the time, travel, mental overload, missing my family, and physical exhaustion. I am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "community"","block_context":{"text":"community","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=70","url_meta":{"origin":134,"position":4},"title":"Greenbuild 2013","author":"greenerjsa","date":"November 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Sore feet, tired mind, and re-invigorated heart of green! http:\/\/www.ecobuildingpulse.com\/green-building\/greenbuild-wraps-up-with-calls-to-action.aspx?dfpzone=home&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=jump&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBP_112613&day=2013-11-26 I attended Greenbuild 2013 in Philly last week, and it was amazing. Here\u2019s a nice little take-away article, and I plan to post more. Jodi","rel":"","context":"In "USGBC, LEED and Greenbuild conference"","block_context":{"text":"USGBC, LEED and Greenbuild conference","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":85,"url":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?p=85","url_meta":{"origin":134,"position":5},"title":"Love this assessment of Greenbuild trade show","author":"greenerjsa","date":"December 6, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog post which I saw on LinkedIn is right on the money regarding the vendor floor at Greenbuild. There is so much potential and so little understanding by the vendors. Bring on the tech people, ditch the paper handouts and understand the complexity that MUST be addressed in marketing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "USGBC, LEED and Greenbuild conference"","block_context":{"text":"USGBC, LEED and Greenbuild conference","link":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/?cat=8"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions\/165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/2bgreener.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}