NEW DELHI, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the creator and administrator of LEED, announced today it was expanding its support of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the popular global green building program, in India. India ranks third globally for countries outside of the U.S. with the most LEED-certified space, with nearly 12 million square meters, according to a report released by USGBC last month. Fedrizzi outlined four key initiatives that have been launched: 1) LEED is evolving to be a truly global rating system by providing local and regional paths for projects to achieve certification. These alternative compliance paths take into account regional climate, geography, land use laws and more. India will now have a seat at the LEED International Roundtable, the USGBC group responsible for driving the international development and applications of LEED. 2) In an effort to strengthen global consistency of the LEED rating system, the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) will now manage certification of projects to all LEED rating systems in India, including assuming responsibility for LEED India certification from the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). IGBC will continue to provide support to LEED India projects already in the system, but all new projects will come under the auspices of GBCI for certification services. 3) With this move, the entire suite of LEED rating systems will now be available in India, including LEED v4, the latest update to the rating system that codifies performance goals through a continuing relationship with LEED throughout the life cycle of the building. 4) To support this increase in the LEED offerings in India, USGBC is establishing a hub in New Delhi to provide in-country support to LEED project teams, including education, technical support and customer service. LEED is the world's most widely used and recognized rating system guiding the design, construction, operations and maintenance of green buildings. To date, project teams in more than 150 countries and territories have implemented LEED in their building projects, taking advantage of its global, regional and local applicability to create structures that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions; create healthier indoor environments for workers, students and community members; and lower utility bills for building owners through reduced energy and water use.
