According to Mary Shanklin, in an Orlando Sentinel article, “The longtime standard for constructing energy-efficient buildings- LEED certification- is no longer the only option in the ‘green’-construction business”. For the longest time, buildings that have passed the U.S Green Building Council’s rigorous certification have proved to be exceedingly energy efficient and cost effective, but now there is Green Globes; a lesser known certification that is beginning to make a name for itself as well. According to Shanklin, “The Green Globes certification is a less costly and more flexible way to prove that a building makes the most of available efficiencies”.
While the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program has defined environmentally sound construction standards for more than 7,000 projects in about 30 countries for almost 15 years, Green Globes has been emerging in Canada since 1996, which is “being promoted in the U.S. by the Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon”. The Green Globes system may be more beneficial, because it is more flexible and you work directly with an assessor, whereas with the LEED certification you may have to wait a month for a response to your questions. Green Globes is trying to raise awareness of their brand and make a name for themselves in the “green” construction world, so the customer service and interaction they offer is unparalleled.
The cost savings is another reason the Green Globes system is gaining traction. According to Shanklin, “In 2008, LEED registration cost about $900 to $3,000 and the certification cost about $1,875 to $20,000, [whereas] a Green Globes self-assessment cost $500, and the certification runs from $300 to $6,000”. This more affordable Green Globes system could allow more construction companies to reap the benefits of building green. Overall, the Green Globes certification provides healthy competition to the USGB’s LEED program, and offers construction companies valuable options in an ever growing “green” market.