The U.S. Green Building Council opened a comment period for proposed LEED green building comments. The fifth comment period, closing Dec. 10, provides a copy of the latest standards with notes where any substantive changes have been made.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced the opening of the fifth public comment period for the proposed update to its LEED green building program. The comment period, which will close on Dec. 10, enables the building community to view the most recent draft of the rating systems and provide comments where any substantive changes have been made.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced that the total footprint of commercial projects certified under its LEED green building program surpassed two billion square feet.

More than 1,200 leading businesses and organizations representing a wide array of industries across all 50 states today sent a letter asking the General Services Administration (GSA) to continue to use the LEED green building rating system to advance innovation in construction and save taxpayer dollars.

The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association joined the U.S. Green Building Council as a signatory on a letter to the U.S. General Services Administration encouraging inclusion of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating Systems as an option for public building design and assessment.

The U.S. Green Building Council applauded the creation of the American High-Performance Buildings Coalition by the American Chemistry Council and others, noting that, after 20 years, it was significant that the representative groups were finally engaging in conversation about the critical importance of green, high performance buildings for America.

National Office Furniture's casegoods and table manufacturing facility in Santa Claus, IN, has been awarded the state's first LEED-certification for an office furniture plant.

National Office Furniture, a brand unit of Kimball International, Inc., announces that its casegoods and tables manufacturing facility in Santa Claus, IN, has been awarded LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED EB: O&M) Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification marks National’s seventh facility to earn a LEED green building rating.

The U.S. Green Building Council announced that more than 20,000 homes across the U.S. have earned certification through the LEED for Homes program.

The Window and Door Manufacturers Association (WDMA) commends the introduction of bipartisan legislation today in the U.S. House of Representatives that would reform the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) Rule to reduce the burden the rule has placed on the home retrofit market while protecting pregnant women and small children from lead hazards.