USGBC wants environmental label on every building

WASHINGTON — The president of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) said at the Healthy Buildings 2009 Conference — a five-day international conference in Syracuse, New York — that every building in the United States should have a label disclosing its environmental impact, according to the Environmental Leader.

Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president and keynote speaker at the Healthy Buildings 2009 Conference, would like to see a label similar to food packaging nutrition labels on the side of every building, that discloses the indoor air quality (IAQ), water usage and other environmental factors of the structure, the story stated.

Many believe that buildings need to be smarter because they consume 70 percent of the world's electricity, 12 percent of its potable water and 40 percent of the raw materials used globally, the story noted.

Fedrizzi said that indoor environmental quality ranks near the bottom of the nation’s policy issues, and to change that, more research is needed to demonstrate the links between health and indoor air quality.

According to the story, having visible environmental labels on each building would encourage landlords and building occupants to increase sustainable efforts.

Environmental labels would serve as benchmarks for buildings and would make it easier for organizations such as the Association of Green Property Owners and Managers (AGPOM) to help building owners garner financial savings from green building practices, the story added.

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