New international alliance issues a ‘call for partners’ to advance global leadership in our built environment (GLOBE)

A broad and diverse coalition of over 30 organizations active in countries around the world announced a Call for Partners today for an international alliance advocating for sustainable building practices as a key strategy for combating climate change.

The Global Leadership in Our Built Environment Alliance (GLOBE) – led in partnership by the U.S. Green Building Council together with the World Green Building council and its members, environmental organizations, and businesses – will work around the world to educate, raise awareness and generate support from global policymakers, financial institutions and U.N. bodies for cost-effective investment in sustainable building practices. With a unified voice and a coordinated global advocacy strategy, the GLOBE Alliance is committed to fostering leadership to bring to scale the low cost, often profitable benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable design, construction and operations of our built environment.

Partners of the GLOBE Alliance seeks to capture the energy saving and carbon reduction potential existing in buildings and urban areas. The network will push for policies and measures that support technical, regulatory, and financial resources for green communities and efficient buildings in developed and developing countries – which according to scientists, could reduce CO2 emissions in those sectors by at least 30% in the short-term.

What Partners are Saying

“Buildings are a fundamental solution to mitigating global climate change. We are calling for urgent action from the public and private sectors to spur sustainable building practices that reduce carbon dioxide emissions around the world,” - Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of USGBC

“Forty-six Green Building Councils, representing over half of our membership, are in developing nations. We believe the inclusion of the built environment in financial tools geared toward lowering emissions, like carbon trading, will support local economic development in these countries while helping solve this important global issue.” – Jane Henley, CEO, World Green Building Council

“Through GLOBE, we are shifting the dialogue on green, energy-efficient buildings to include all regions of the world, not just wealthy nations. World leaders must begin fusing economic development with low emission solutions in all countries and begin breaking down the barriers to more sustainable communities and buildings.” – Ashok Gupta, Senior Energy Economist and Director of Energy Policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council

“Sixty percent of our population resides along the coastline, considered one of the longest in the world. We are one of the most vulnerable and least able to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. It is paramount our industry become part of the global sustainability dialogue and to ensure that we put in place an appropriate response.” - Christopher Cruz de la Cruz, Chairman and President, Philippine Green Building Council (PHILGBC).

“Youth are the moral authority on climate change, and we have influence over our parents and teachers when it comes to greening our homes and schools. So I am happy to be a part of GLOBE, which will take the role of youth seriously in the path to a sustainable future.” – Alec Loorz, Youth Activist; Founder, Kids vs. Global Warming

“At this historic crossroads, the GLOBE Alliance is an absolutely vital new endeavor. The GLOBE Alliance will ensure that key decision makers in the public and private sectors, as well as the development institutions, will move with urgency and a strong sense of commitment to make the necessary investments to create a sustainable built environment.” - Mayor Martin Chavez, Executive Director, ICLEI-USA

“Positive global change is only achievable with the building and construction industry on board. As host country for COP16, it’s our duty to uphold this message and effectively facilitate the transition to a more sustainable built environment. Immediate and transformative action is needed now.” – Cesar Ulises Trevino, Executive Director, Mexico Green Building Council

“GLOBE addresses a critical market need for new partnership approaches. While 84% of facility executives around the world say energy efficiency is a priority for new construction and retrofit projects, they also report significant barriers accessing capital and a lack of technical expertise as major barriers.” - Clay Nesler, Vice President for Global Energy and Sustainability, Johnson Controls

“Too often building owners, tenants and others don’t realize that they are sitting on an untapped gold mine of energy savings. We look forward to working with GLOBE to put in place building energy codes, rating and disclosure requirements, finance and other policies that will address market failures and lead to a market transformation that will change business as usual, save energy, create jobs, slash pollution and benefit all stakeholders.” - Cliff Majersik, Executive Director, Institute for Market Transformation

“Over the next 20 years, the public and private sector will face enormous challenges in managing the impacts of rapid infrastructure growth –including increased greenhouse gas emissions and greater energy use. By partnering with the GLOBE Alliance, we expect to leverage our world class expertise while learning from world class thought leaders on how we can work together to achieve high performance buildings globally, and lock-out inefficiencies for decades to come.” - Jeff Moe, Director of Global Policy and Advocacy, Ingersoll Rand

“The Romania Green Building Council is very pleased to join the GLOBE Alliance with our sincere pledge to contribute fully to solving this global challenge. We are confident GLOBE will have the velocity and impact necessary to positively transform our understanding and approach to our buildings.” – Steven Borncamp, President, Romania Green Building Council

“Sustainable development allows us to be thoughtful about our environmental impact literally from the ground up. In addition to creating a generation of buildings that put climate responsibility at the forefront, we can strengthen an entirely new - and growing - sector of the construction industry, putting people to work at a critical moment.” – Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO, Green For All

“The best way to cut the carbon emissions created by cities is to work on buildings and transport together. If we can develop our future neighborhoods with energy efficient buildings around transit stations, with great bike lanes, and without much parking, we can radically cut projected greenhouse gas emissions at a stroke. That’s why we’ve developed the ‘Our Cities Ourselves’ program, and why we are delighted that GLOBE gives us the opportunity to show how sustainable transport is a key to sustainable cities.” - Walter Hook, Executive Director, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy

“Sustainable and cost-efficient buildings are the future of Chinese real estate. In GLOBE, we now have a way to unite voices from around the world on the importance of green development in China and elsewhere, which will help us achieve cleaner cities today and a cleaner future for our children tomorrow.” – Mr. Lun Feng, Chairman, China Urban Realty Association Green Building Committee

“Because our environmental challenges are global, they require a global response. The aptly-named GLOBE Alliance is the right solution at the right time and EcoTech International is proud to be part of this vital initiative.” -Rob Watson, CEO, EcoTech International; Founding Chairman, LEED Steering Committee

“The American Institute of Architects is pleased to support the GLOBE Alliance in its mission to advocate for sustainable building practices throughout the world. The building sector provides the greatest opportunity for global transformation on climate, and architects are working collaboratively to advance the holistic design thinking that leads to the innovative green buildings of the future that are more efficient and use less energy.” - George H. Miller, President, American Institute of Architects

“Wasted energy from buildings costs Americans over $130 billion dollars each and every year. Improving the performance of homes and offices is the cheapest, cleanest, and fastest way to meet our pressing energy needs. CAP is honored to join the groundbreaking GLOBE Alliance in demonstrating that sustainable development offers a better path forward to align the interests of rich and poor countries, cities and rural communities, in building a more prosperous and competitive global economy and puts skilled workers back on the job.” - Bracken Hendricks, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress

“The location and use of urban land represents a series of economic decisions which can lead to multi-sector lowcarbon outcomes. Where we build is as important as what we build.” - Patrick L. Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Land Institute

“Earth Day Network is proud to join the GLOBE Alliance to spur meaningful action on climate change worldwide.” - Kathleen Rogers, President, Earth Day Network

“GBC España is pleased to participate in the GLOBE Alliance, a much needed initiative aimed at identifying the relevance of buildings in our energy and environmental future, and at moving all the actors to ensure buildings play the positive role they can, and must play, in climate change mitigation. This must happen through a broad, concerted action at both global and local levels.” - Emilio Miguel Mitre, Director of International Affairs, Green Building Council España

“Knowledge, experience and best practices for sustainable buildings are available around the world. The GLOBE Alliance provides an opportunity to gather such knowledge and improve the built environment worldwide.” - Henry L. Green, Hon. AIA, President, National Institute of Building Sciences

“The GLOBE Alliance creates an opportunity to gain traction for innovative energy efficiency policies that lead to reduced energy consumption and cost savings for consumers, governments and businesses. UTC applauds this initiative and is proud to join as a corporate partner.” - Curt Rich, Vice President, Energy and Environmental Policy, United Technologies Corporation

“The UN Foundation congratulates the US Green Building Council for its thoughtful leadership in bringing together so many disparate organizations to focus on a shared vision – the need for a sustainable built environment. Sustainability must become a normal business practice and we are confident that GLOBE will help to bring that goal to reality.” - Mark Hopkins, Director of International Energy Efficiency, UN Foundation

“GETF is pleased to be a part of the GLOBE Alliance. We believe that the Alliance will be a perfect forum for our work on the Global Energy Assessment, which in the same manner of the IPCC is evaluating the energy landscape and can underscore the importance of the built environment in achieving our energy and climate goals as a planet.” - Dr. Robert W. Corell, Global Environment & Technology Foundation Principal

“Buildings represent a tremendous opportunity for energy savings and environmental conservation. By focusing world leaders on the economic and environmental benefits that can be achieved by improving the efficiency of new and existing buildings, the GLOBE Alliance will help find solutions to the world’s energy challenges. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air?Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is proud to partner with the Alliance and help bring policymakers together to address our common energy needs through improved building efficiency.” - Lynn G. Bellenger, President, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

About GLOBE

Buildings account for more than one-third of our planet’s total energy use and associated greenhouse gas emissions, and also represent our largest and cheapest global potential for making reductions. Among all sectors, in all countries, and at all cost levels, the building sector represents the greatest and most cost-effective reduction potential, accounting for over 80 percent of the reductions achievable at negative costs. Yet, despite the urgency and opportunity for action, the emission reduction potential of buildings has largely gone untapped in most countries.

Building greener buildings will avoid locking in inefficiencies for decades – especially in fast-growing countries like China, which is projected to build the equivalent of America’s entire building stock over the next ten years.

The GLOBE Alliance elevates sustainable building practices as a widespread, cost-negative carbon mitigation strategy, illustrates the inextricable connection between sustainable development and other urgent environmental and humanitarian issues in the developing world, and calls on industrialized nations to lead by example.