USGBC survey shows Fortune 200 companies prioritize green building

The world’s top-performing companies are prioritizing sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, and a majority of them are using LEED to achieve their goals, according to a new survey by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The study looked at Fortune 200 companies, most of them users of LEED and members of USGBC.

The survey, LEED and the Corporate Built Environment, showed:

82% of survey respondents from Fortune 200 companies are likely to continue using LEED over the next three years for new construction or retrofit projects
60% of surveyed companies believe LEED positively impacts their return on investment (ROI)
70% stated they pursue LEED as a means to save money by being more energy efficient
80% agree that LEED is a key way their company communicates sustainability efforts to stakeholders

Of the respondents, which encompassed 48 of the Fortune 200 companies, 96% use LEED to support their sustainability efforts. Nearly all (93%) reported that demonstrating a commitment to the environment motivates their company to use LEED.

USGBC partnered with Keybridge LLC to produce this survey, which was targeted at executives in charge of building operations or corporate sustainability efforts. The survey was conducted between January and March 2015. A majority of respondents were USGBC members.

A guide focusing on the critical role of grid interactivity in building decarbonization was recently published by ASHRAE. The Grid-Interactive Buildings for Decarbonization: Design and Operation Resource Guide provides information on maximizing carbon reduction through buildings’ interaction with the electric power grid.

75 Top Building Products | Dec 13, 2023

75 top building products for 2023

From a bladeless rooftop wind energy system, to a troffer light fixture with built-in continuous visible light disinfection, innovation is plentiful in Building Design+Construction's annual 75 Top Products report.

Codes and Standards | Dec 11, 2023

Washington state tries new approach to phase out fossil fuels in new construction

After pausing a heat pump mandate earlier this year after a federal court overturned Berkeley, Calif.’s ban on gas appliances in new buildings, Washington state enacted a new code provision that seems poised to achieve the same goal.

Green | Dec 11, 2023

U.S. has tools to meet commercial building sector decarbonization goals early

The U.S. has the tools to reduce commercial building-related emissions to reach target goals in 2029, earlier than what it committed to when it signed the Paris Agreement, according to a report by the U.S. Green Building Council.

AA new report offers guidance for buying and using greener building materials.

Industry Research | Dec 9, 2023

Two new reports provide guidance for choosing healthier building products

The authors, Perkins&Will and the Healthy Building Network, home in on drywall, flooring, and insulation.The authors, Perkins&Will and the Healthy Building Network, home in on drywall, flooring, and insulation.

Yale University breaks ground on the nation's largest Living Building student housing complex

University Buildings | Dec 8, 2023

Yale University breaks ground on nation's largest Living Building student housing complex

A groundbreaking on Oct. 11 kicked off a project aiming to construct the largest Living Building Challenge-certified residence on a university campus. The Living Village, a 45,000 sf home for Yale University Divinity School graduate students, “will make an ecological statement about the need to build in harmony with the natural world while training students to become ‘apostles of the environment’,” according to Bruner/Cott, which is leading the design team that includes Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Andropogon Associates.