World Green Building Council
In 1993, the first Green Building Council was founded – and a global movement was born. The US Green Building Council was formed by Rick Fedrizzi, David Gottfried and Mike Italiano with a mission to promote sustainability-focused practices in the building and construction industry, and for the first time, brought together the industry across the value chain to advance green building. Around the world, other green leaders in the industry looked to the impact of the USGBC and decided that they too needed to start a similar movement in their own country, led by a Green Building Council.
Company details
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- Business Type:
- Professional association
- Industry Type:
- Construction & Construction Materials
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
- Year Founded:
- 1999
About Us
The green building movement began generating more and more interest around the world, and individuals from across the globe were supported by the USGBC. With this growing global interest, David Gottfried seeded and managed the formation of the “United Nations of the Green Building Councils” with the mission of supporting the development of Green Building Councils around the world, as well as to unite them with a common voice and purpose.
And so began the World Green Building Council.
In 1999, the founding meeting of WorldGBC was held in California, US and three years later in 2002, WorldGBC was officially formed with Green Building Councils: Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and USA.
In 2007, a Secretariat for WorldGBC was formally established in Toronto, Canada, and vital support was provided by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) – which continues to work with WorldGBC to this day. Essential start-up funding of over $1 million dollars per year for 3 years was provided by the Province of Ontario Canada.
Since then, WorldGBC has seen tremendous growth and evolution in its focus and structure. In 2009, WorldGBC launched five Regional Networks and three membership levels (Prospective, Emerging and Established) to facilitate the growing interest in membership globally. In 2010 a Corporate Advisory Board was formed to deliver strategic insight directly from the industry to the WorldGBC Board. By 2012, the number of member Green Building Councils had grown from 9 to 71.
The WorldGBC began to play a more globally influential role by producing highly respected reports such as The Business Case for Green Building in 2013 and Health, Wellbeing and Productivity in Offices in 2014. In 2015, the WorldGBC Board agreed a new strategic plan for the organisation with five key areas of focus: Membership; Regional Networks; Projects and Partnerships; Marketing, Communications and Influence; and Governance and Operations.
Since its formation, WorldGBC has grown into a global network of over 70 Green Building Councils around the world. It currently has the largest team to date located primarily in two offices in London, UK, and Toronto, Canada.
Our Work
We know buildings are major contributors to climate change. But we also know that green buildings offer one of the most cost-effective solutions to climate change and can lead to significant environmental, economic and social benefits around the world.
That’s why our work, and the work of our member Green Building Councils, is absolutely vital if we are to realise green building for everyone, everywhere. It is through our global projects and partnerships, our Regional Networks and their projects, and our high-profile campaigns and events, that we will achieve our mission.
Our Mission
Who are we?
We are a global network of Green Building Councils in over 70 countries which is transforming the places we live, work, play and learn.
Why do we exist?
Buildings are diverse and beautiful but they must also be sustainable. We believe green buildings can and must be at the centre of our lives. Our changing climate means we must reshape the way we grow and build.
What’s our mission?
Our mission is to create green buildings for everyone, everywhere - enabling people to thrive both today and tomorrow.
How will we achieve it?
By taking action. We champion local and global leadership. We empower our community to drive change. We are greater than the sum of our parts, and commit to green buildings for everyone, everywhere.
Our goals
We are committed to achieving the following by 2050:
- Limit global temperature rises to 2 degrees Celsius
- Reduce the building and construction sector’s CO2 emissions by 84 gigatonnes
- Ensure all buildings are net zero emissions
These goals will ensure WorldGBC plays its part in delivering on the ambition of the Paris Agreement.