GREENGUARD Environmental Institute Applauds Green Building Initiative's American National Standard for Commercial Green Building

New standard provides sustainable building community with multiple options to fulfill green building credits

ATLANTA, April 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) congratulates the Green Building Initiative (GBI) on the successful completion of the first American National Standard for Commercial Green Building.  

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090401/DC92292LOGO-b)

The standard, officially named ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green Building Assessment Protocol for Commercial Buildings and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ensures that building project leaders seeking green building certification can choose from a wide array of products and materials that qualify for sustainable credits.  Moreover, it helps simplify the task of finding these qualified products by providing a user-friendly list of credible third-party certification programs where appropriate.

"We applaud the Green Globes® Rating/Certification Program on this monumental achievement," says Dr. Marilyn Black, founder of GEI.  "Concerning indoor air quality, in particular, this new ANSI Standard opens up new opportunities for architects, designers, specifiers, builders, contractors, and developers to find and incorporate third-party certified low-emitting products and materials."

Section 12.2 of the new standard ("Source Control of Indoor Pollutants") specifically references the GREENGUARD Children & Schools Certification Program and the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute's Standard Method for Measuring and Evaluating Chemical Emissions From Building Materials, Finishes and Furnishings Using Dynamic Environmental Chambers.

"The new ANSI/GBI standard highlights the importance and credibility of third-party certification for choosing sustainable products and materials," says Josh Jacobs, technical information and public affairs manager at GEI.  "This is an important milestone for the green building and design community, and a testament to the unbridled growth of sustainability."

Derived from the Green Globes® environmental design and assessment rating system for New Construction, the standard was developed using ANSI's consensus-based guidelines, which ensure a balanced, transparent, and inclusive process.  The standard received formal approval on March 24, 2010 and will now go through a pilot program.

About the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI)

The GREENGUARD Environmental Institute is an industry-independent, third-party, not-for-profit organization that aims to improve human health and quality of life through programs that reduce people's exposure to chemicals and other pollutants.  The GREENGUARD Certification Programs certify products for low chemical emissions and provide consumers with a resource for choosing healthier products and materials for indoor environments.  All certified products must meet stringent standards for low chemical emissions based on established criteria from key public health agencies. GREENGUARD Certification is broadly recognized and accepted by sustainable building programs and building codes worldwide. For more information and a complete listing of certified products, visit www.greenguard.org.

SOURCE GREENGUARD Environmental Institute