Systems Examined in this Article

BREEAM® – The UK-based Building Research Establishment's (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method has rating systems for ten different building types. Within each, assessment of performance occurs within ten categories. Scores across all categories are added together to produce a single overall score that, along with evidence of compliance with specific requirements, determines the overall project rating. Established in 1990, BREEAM is one of the world's most widely used green building rating systems; 425,000 buildings currently have certified BREEAM assessment ratings and two million have registered for assessment.

LEED® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) – This building rating and certification program was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built in accordance with specified practices and performance measures within eight categories. Adherence to required elements and numerical scores across all categories is used in determining an overall project rating. Established in 2000, LEED has been used to certify more than 2.8 billion ft² of building space globally. The newest version (v.4) was released in 2013. LEED Canada operates independently from the USGBC, and is governed and operated by the Canadian Green Building Council.

Green Globes™ – This rating system began in Canada as an offshoot of BREEAM. The Green Building Initiative (GBI) acquired the rights to distribute Green Globes in the United States in 2004, and in 2005 became the first green building organization accredited as a standards developer by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The Green Globes program encompasses new construction and continuous improvement in office buildings, multifamily structures, hospitals, and institutional buildings. A web-based tool allows self-assessment of building projects, with third-party on-site inspection required for certification. Green Globes is one of two rating systems approved by the U.S. government for accreditation of federal building projects. In Canada, it is the basis for the Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada's (BOMA) “BESt” rating system for existing commercial buildings.

Built Green™ – This voluntary program for residential construction was developed in the mid-1990s by home builders in Colorado and by home builders and government in Washington. Individual programs are administered by local home builder associations. Using a checklist-based system, Built Green offers certification of single and multifamily residences, with the highest levels of certification typically requiring third-party verification. In Canada, Built Green is owned and managed by the Built Green Society of Canada. There, the system is open to members of participating home builder associations and certification is available for new single-family homes and row homes, high density housing, and renovation projects. A communities program is under development.

EarthCraft™ – Established in 1999 by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface, EarthCraft is a green building certification program serving Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The rating system encompasses single-family homes, multifamily structures, renovation projects, community developments and light-commercial buildings. To date, more than 25,000 homes, multifamily units and commercial buildings have been certified. Provisions within this standard are similar to those in LEED 2009.

National Green Building Standard® – In 2007, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and International Code Council (ICC) joined forces to establish an environmental standard for residential construction. The result was a voluntary standard that includes single and multifamily homes, residential remodeling and site development projects. Based on earlier-developed NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, the standard gained ANSI approval as ICC-700 in early 2009. The recently released International Green Construction Code, a model code, requires compliance with ICC-700 if a jurisdiction chooses to regulate residential buildings four stories or less in height.

Earth Advantage® – The Earth Advantage program is administered by the Earth Advantage Institute, an organization that began in 2000 as an energy-efficiency program of Pacific Gas and Electric. In 2005 it became an independent non-profit entity. The Institute provides training, research, and certification services to building professionals across the U.S. Residential certification programs include net zero, new home, multifamily and remodel. A commercial certification program focuses on buildings of less than 50,000 ft², but accommodates buildings up to 100,000 ft². The standards reference the ASHRAE 90.1 energy code and additional standards and tools including Forest Stewardship Council, GreenGuard®, and Green Seal.

Living Building Challenge – This program of the Cascadia Green Building Council (a chapter of both the USGBC and Canadian Green Building Council) was developed in 2006. Now administered by the International Living Building Institute, it is meant to be the next step after LEED Platinum and a step before regenerative buildings. It is intended “to define the highest measure of sustainability attainable in the built environment based on the best current thinking—recognizing that 'true sustainability' is not yet possible.” As of April 2015, eight projects have achieved full certification, and 12 others have achieved net zero energy building certification.

CALGreen – The California Green Building Standards Code is a part of the California Building Code and applies, with few exceptions, to all occupancies in the state. Put into effect in 2011, it is the first statewide green building code. To meet code requirements, projects must satisfy mandatory elements, exceed California Energy Code requirements, and comply with a certain number of provisions on a voluntary measures list. Local jurisdictions are allowed to establish more restrictive standards.

IgCC – The International Green Construction Code is not a green rating system, but a model code intended to promote safe and sustainable construction in an integrated fashion with the ICC family of codes, including provisions of the International Energy Conservation Code and ICC-700. ASHRAE Standard 189.1 is also incorporated as an alternate path to compliance. The IgCC was published in 2012 after three years of development and consultation. The document provides model code language to states and municipalities that wish to establish a regulatory framework specific to green commercial construction and remodeling. Code language establishes minimum regulations for building systems and site considerations through both prescriptive and performance-related provisions.

ASHRAE Standard 189.1 – An ANSI standard written in model code language, ASHRAE 189.1 provides minimum requirements for high-performance green buildings, and applies to construction of all new and remodeled commercial buildings. Developed jointly by ASHRAE, the USGBC, and the Illuminating Engineering Society, it serves as a compliance option in the 2012 IgCC.