Green Building

"Green building" refers to good design and management practices in all phases of building construction and operation to promote a healthy environment and energy efficiency.  The leading organization for developing and promoting green building principles is the U.S. Green Building Council, a broad coalition including representation from the construction industry, the financial sector, government, and public interest organizations.

Green building and health care come together in the Green Guide for Health Care (GGHC). This toolkit provides guidance to integrate enhanced environmental health principles and practices into the planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of healthcare facilities. This guide has already played an important role in spurring development of healthier building materials and gives the healthcare industry a leadership role in bringing health issues to green design. The Green Guide for Health Care is available as a free download (registration required).

The U.S. Green Building Council, (USGBC) has played a leading role in developing and promoting green building principles in the US broad coalition including representation from the construction industry, the financial sector, government, and public interest organizations. The USGBC and GGHC are working cooperatively to integrate the principles developed in the Green Guide in to a health care specific version of the USGBC’s third party certified LEED program.

The following information is excerpted from the EPA Sector Notebook Profile of the Healthcare Industry: 

"Healthcare institutions are increasingly embracing green building goals driven by several important factors: public health, market competitiveness, operation costs, and social responsibility.  HBN is a national network of green building professionals, environmental and health activists, socially responsible investment advocates, and others who are interested in promoting healthier building materials as a means of improving public health and preserving the global environment. 

Use the Green Building State Resource Locator to find information for your state.