Global Greening

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Today the Green Building Initiative formally recognized the University of Arkansas as the first educational institution to encourage the use of Green Globes in its design and construction policies by providing the school with complimentary use of the tool for one year.

Through its Design and Construction Guide for Buildings and Landscapes, which stipulates that new campus facilities or full-building renovations of more than $1 million must achieve a “two globes rating” using the Green Globes system, or an equivalent rating with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED system, the University of Arkansas promotes sustainable design of campus facilities in order to reduce both cost of ownership and environmental impacts.

To support the university’s pioneering efforts, the Green Building Initiative is offering the school free use of the Green Globes tool for one year, allowing members of the UA Department of Facilities Management access not only to an assessment protocol and rating system, but also a guide for integrating environmentally-friendly design into commercial buildings.

“We applaud the University of Arkansas and the members of its [Facilities Management] group for taking a leadership role in making our country’s academic institutions more sustainable,” said Ward Hubbell, executive director of the Global Building Initiative. “Their policies set an example that we hope universities across the country will follow with their own sustainable initiatives.”

"This support from the Green Building Initiative is a wonderful development that will help the University of Arkansas take on an even greater national leadership role in the broad application of green design techniques in our campus facilities,” said UA Chancellor John A. White. “As a university, we have a responsibility to incorporate principles of sustainability throughout our curricula and, through research, advance the state of knowledge regarding sustainability principles and practices. Our emphasis on green buildings is not only good for the environment, but it's also supportive of renewable products and other materials produced in Arkansas. Most importantly, we must apply principles of sustainability in everything we do."

The non-profit Global Building Initiative will further support the university’s efforts by offering free third-party verification - which is required before a building can be promoted as having achieved a Green Globes rating - for one new construction project and one existing building project.  Interested professors will also be invited to use the Green Globes system in a classroom setting for one semester, free of charge.  Green Globes is currently used in architecture and design programs at California Polytechnic State University, Clemson University, Stanford University and Arizona State University.

In addition, the intiative will offer all universities - as well as governments and green building organizations nationwide - the use of a generic version of its new Life Cycle Assessment tool, which measures the global-warming potential and other environmental impacts of more than 400 common building assemblies in low- and high-rise categories. Initially developed for use with the Green Globes system, the LCA tool facilitates the comparison of alternate design scenarios and allows architects, engineers and others to make informed, environmentally sensitive choices.

“The importance of supporting the efforts of institutions like the University of Arkansas cannot be understated, and we plan to give them as many tools as possible in this pursuit,” added Hubbell.

The mission of the Green Building Initiative is to accelerate adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches. A not-for-profit education initiative, it is supported by a broad cross section of organizations and individuals with interest in residential and commercial construction.  For more information, please visit www.thegbi.org.