Program areas at GBCI
Leed Certification - Gbci administers the leed Certification program, performing third-party technical reviews and verification of registered projects to determine if they have met the standards set forth by the leed Green building rating system. Leed, or leadership in energy & environmental design, is the most widely used Green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence in Green building. Developed by the u.s. Green building council (usgbc), leed provides a framework for healthy, efficient and cost-saving Green buildings. Leed Certification ia a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership.
Well - Gbci supports the delivery of iwbi's well building standard, an evidence-based standard, which sets performance requirements in ten categories: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, mind, sound, materials, and community. Certification allows building owners and employers to know that their space is performing related to health and well-being of occupants. Gbci supports the advancement of well by providing Certification management and delivery services for well Certification programs. Well was pioneered by delos and is managed by the international well building institute.
Leed credentialing - Gbci credentials consist of competency exams and certificate programs. The exams are constructed using rigorous test development best practices to assess whether working professionals have the minimum competencies to perform their jobs. Gbci credentials require ongoing maintenance to encourage credentialed professionals to participate in learning experiences that demonstrate continued competency and up-to-date industry knowledge. Gbci develops and administers the iso/iec 17024 accredited leed professional credential exams, which include the leed Green associate and leed ap with specialty credentials, the sites ap, the sustainability excellence credentials, and the urban greenhouse gas inventory specialist credential. Gbci also administers the true advisor certificate program.
True (total resource use and efficiency) - true is a Certification program dedicated to measuring, improving and recognizing zero waste performance by encouraging the adoption of sustainable resource management and waste reduction practices which contribute to positive environmental, health and economic outcomes. True is designed to help guide the transition to a circular economy by supporting businesses and communities in re-thinking old assumptions and re-designing processes to ensure that all resources are valued for their highest and best use. A true certified project's goal is to divert all solid waste from the landfill, incineration and the environment. Facilities achieve Certification by meeting an average of 90% or greater overall waste diversion over a period of 12 months, as well as implementing a series of credits and minimum program requirements.
Edge - an innovation of ifc, a member of the world bank group, edge is a Green building Certification system focused on making buildings in emerging markets more resource-efficient. It empowers developers and builders to quickly identify the most cost-effective ways to reduce energy use, water use and embodied energy in materials. Edge empowers emerging markets to scale up resource-efficient buildings in a fast, easy and affordable way. Gbci administers edge Certification in over 140 countries around the world.
Sites - Gbci administers the sustainable sites initiative (sites)-a comprehensive rating system (sites) designed to distinguish sustainable landscapes, measure their performance, and ultimately elevate the value of landscapes. The rating system can be applied to development projects located on sites with or without buildings, ranging from national parks, to corporate campuses, streetscapes and homes. By supporting the development of healthy, thriving communities and neighborhoods, sites drives sustainability efforts beyond the building.
The investor confidence project (icp) - Gbci administers the investor confidence project (icp), and its investor ready energy efficiency Certification (iree). Icp is a global underwriting standard for developing and measuring energy efficiency retrofits for commercial and multifamily residential buildings. Through its iree Certification, icp aims to standardize energy efficiency upgrades and transform the energy efficiency market by increasing confidence in the financial and environmental performance of building retrofits. By only certifying projects that adhere to rigorous standards and best practices, icp reduces risk for investors and lowers transaction costs for buyers and sellers of energy efficiency.
Sustainability excellence credentials (formerly issp credentials) - the sustainability excellence associate (sea) and sustainability excellence professional (sep) credentials recognize individuals dedicated to making the world a more sustainable place - economically, socially, and environmentally. The sea is designed for emerging sustainability professionals, including students, recent graduates or professionals looking to incorporate sustainability concepts into their career. The sep designates an individual who has extensive experience in sustainability and who can demonstrate professional excellence in the field. Earning an issp credential demonstrates that a person has the skills and knowledge to plan, implement and evaluate the integration of sustainability into organizational culture and practices and is abreast of current issues, tools and techniques. The credentials were originally developed by the international society of sustainability professionals (issp) and are currently owned and administered by Gbci.
Peer - Gbci administers peer, or performance excellence in electricity renewal-a comprehensive, consumer-centric, data-driven rating system for measuring and improving power system performance and electricity infrastructure. The peer rating system serves as a tool to accelerate transformation of the electricity sector. Peer evaluates and verifies a power system's performance across four categories: reliability and resiliency; energy efficiency and environment; operations, management and safety; and grid services. The program can be used for power systems of all sizes, including campuses, microgrids, critical infrastructure, an entire city's grid or a utility territory, and even transit systems. A peer Certification signifies that a system is resilient in the face of disasters, reliable in its ability to meet everyday needs and sustainable in a way that prioritizes efficiency and mitigates the impacts of climate risk.
Federal gp (federal guiding principles) - Gbci offers federal agencies and the department of defense a robust compliance assessment for meeting the guiding principles for sustainable federal buildings. The guiding principles were established by an executive order to guide agencies in designing, locating, constructing, maintaining, and operating federal buildings in a sustainable manner that increases efficiency, optimizes performance, eliminates unnecessary use of resources, ensures the health of occupants, protects the environment, generates cost savings, and mitigates risks to assets, consistent with agency and department missions.
Parksmart - Gbci administers parksmart, the world's only rating system that defines, measures and recognizes high-performing, sustainable parking strucures. Developed by industry experts, parksmart applies to new and existing facilities and assesses projects in several categories, including parking structure management, programming, design and technology.
City climate planner (ccp) - the city climate planner program helps city staff and their partners develop the skills needed to advance local climate action in cities worldwide. The urban greenhouse gas inventory specialist credential focuses on community-level greenhouse gas emissions inventory accounting, which is a key building block in developing quality climate action plans. It is geared toward practitioners developing city and community-scale greenhouse gas inventories and is based on the global protocol for community-scale greenhouse gas emission inventories (gpc), the most comprehensive global protocol for calculating and reporting ghg inventories.