WDMA Commends GSA's Certification Systems Decision

WDMA Commends GSA's Certification Systems DecisionWASHINGTON, D.C. - The Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) commends the decision by the General Services Administration (GSA) to formally recommend to the Department of Energy (DOE) that federal buildings use the Green Building Initiative's Green Globes 2010 or U.S. Green Building Council's LEED 2009 as the certification systems for construction and renovation. Currently, LEED is the only green building standard used for federal buildings.

GSA is required by law to issue a recommendation to DOE every five years on how the federal government can best use certification systems to measure the design and performance of the federal government's construction and major renovation projects. In announcing its decision, GSA acknowledged that no green building certification system meets all of the federal government's green building requirements, and is just one tool that GSA uses to cut costs and meet sustainability and economic performance goals.

"WDMA is pleased by GSA's decision to recognize green building standards that are open and transparent to all stakeholders," said Michael O'Brien, President & CEO of WDMA. "Green building programs should be product neutral and not discourage the use of products with long life cycles, such as vinyl."

By recognizing Green Globes, GSA will now also allow wood products to be certified by a variety of certification systems. LEED 2009 only allows wood products certified to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In contrast, Green Globes 2010 recognizes forest certifications such as Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and American Tree Farm System (ATFS), in addition to FSC.

As part of the recommendations, agencies will be allowed to choose between the two certification systems that best meets their building portfolios. For new construction and major renovation, GSA recommends at least LEED Silver or 2 Green Globes. For agencies seeking green building certification for existing buildings, the minimum goal is LEED Certified or 1 Green Globe.

WDMA is part of the American High Performance Buildings Coalition (a group of over 40 organizations representing a broad range of green building materials, products, and technologies) that has worked to support and promote green building codes that are developed through consensus-based processes derived from data and performance-driven criteria.

About WDMA:

Founded in 1927, the Window & Door Manufacturers Association is the premier trade association representing the leading manufacturers of residential and commercial window, door and skylight products for the domestic and export markets. WDMA members are focused on Total Product Performance™ products that are designed and built to performance-based standards. The association is focused on key member needs in the areas of advocacy, product performance, education and information and facilitating business interactions and relationships in the fenestration eco-system. For more information, please visit WDMA.com.

Source: WDMA

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