WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) applauded President Obama’s plan to “win the future” by making America’s commercial buildings more energy- and resource-efficient over the next decade.

CHICAGO -- Retired Gen. Colin Powell addressed 10,000 in the opening keynote of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Greenbuild International Conference & Expo on November 17.

The U.S. Green Building Council will be voting on a proposal to change the requirements for certified wood under the LEED program and remove the exclusivity of certification by the Forest Stewardship Council.

A $100 million class action suit has been filed in U.S. District Court against the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED and its founders on charges that USGBC is “fraudulently misleading the consumer” and misrepresenting the energy performance of buildings certified under the LEED rating system.

Office furniture giant Haworth’s global headquarters and the San Francisco and New York City showrooms recently achieved LEED Gold certification from the USGBC. The Holland, MI-based headquarters also earned the U.S. EPA’s ENERGY STAR rating.

MCKINNEY, TX -- The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded Gold Certification to IESI Corp's Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in McKinney.