USGBC Texas

The U.S. Green Building Council Texas (USGBC Texas) is an aligned chapter of the national U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), leader in promoting sustainable building practices throughout the country and the world for the past 27 years.

USGBC is dedicated to transforming the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated. The organization’s goal is to enable an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves people’s quality of life. USGBC is particularly known for developing the LEED® rating system, a baseline to reach for in building practices, beyond what government codes dictate. LEED® has helped project teams find ways to protect the environment and maximize the health benefits of ecosystem services through green building strategies. Its mantra is: Healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy

USGBC Texas is a primarily volunteer-run, community-benefit nonprofit (501c3) committed to ensuring a better built environment for current and future generations of Texans. The Chapter is uniquely focused on uniting all stakeholders involved in the development, design, construction, operation and use of the built infrastructure to achieve equitable practices and policies in our state for the long-term economic, environmental and social benefit of our communities.

The Chapter is the result of the consolidation in 2016 of four state chapters into one statewide chapter with five regions – Central, Gulf Coast, North, South and West.

Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of green building and sustainable development policies and practices through education, advocacy, partnerships and community outreach.

Our goal is that all communities will be sustainable, stimulating a healthy job market, helping businesses and organizations save money, and ensuring everyone in our state has access to healthy homes, schools and work environments, while preserving the environment.

Our work primarily involves raising awareness of the importance of integrated design and construction practices, advocating for sound policies and wise use of our natural resources, providing education opportunities, and facilitating collaboration between everyone involved.

To this end, our role is to deliver education programs, engage in advocacy around the positive aspects of high-performance building, and provide networking and collaboration opportunities for our partners and members, who include building and associated industry professionals, developers, realtors, educators, lawmakers, product manufacturers and other related businesses.

During this unprecedented time there is a real opportunity for the green building community to raise awareness of the value of green building (why green building should be the norm) for indoor air quality (healthy environments whether residential, commercial, education institutions or medical), staying connected to the outdoors whether you can go out or not (daylighting, green spaces and more) and energy efficiency (cost savings/reduction).

Now more than ever, the Chapter has a critical role to play in spreading the message of “Why” green building and sustainable development (residential and commercial) is important. Indoor air quality, clean buildings, energy efficient premises, outdoor green spaces, among many other attributes, contribute to the health, wellness, productivity and prosperity of our communities.

Our work as advocates, educators, influencers, and collaborators to ensure an equitable and sustainable built environment for current and future generations of Texans is made possible by funding from sponsorships, gifts, individual donations, national and individual memberships, program revenues and grants.