The non-profit Green Building Initiative (GBI), Portland, Ore., has completed the acquisition of the global rights to Green Globes sustainability rating system for commercial and multifamily buildings. The acquisition from Chicago-based JLL, which purchased the global rights to Green Globes in 2008, will allow GBI to support existing Green Globes users in Canada, in addition to the U.S., as well as globally expand the rating system’s reach. GBI first licensed the U.S. rights to Green Globes in 2004 from ECD Energy and Environment Canada, Toronto.
“This acquisition is a clear win for GBI and our growing base of Green Globes users,” says Vicki Worden, president and CEO of GBI. “Consolidating Green Globes under GBI was a logical and natural next step to further our mission to accelerate the adoption of green-building best practices in the built environment.”
“As a non-profit, GBI is in a better position to grow the sustainability movement as the sole owner and promoter of Green Globes, and we have every confidence in GBI’s ability to do so,” says Bob Best, executive vice president of JLL. “We value Green Globes as a tool we use with our clients and property managers, and because of this acquisition, GBI can continue to grow Green Globes as a global assessment program.”
According to Worden, GBI has experienced significant growth over the past two years and has certified 1,594 buildings, or almost 300 million square feet of real estate since its founding in 2004. Of those, 1,328 buildings are certified through its Green Globes program and 266 buildings through its Guiding Principles Compliance program for U.S. government buildings.
“Green Globes is filling a gap in the market,” explains Rich Mitchell, managing principal at Portland-based Mackenzie and elected chair of the GBI board of directors. “It’s comprehensive and flexible, as well as time- and cost-effective. Design and operations teams are finding it a beneficial tool for their sustainability-minded owners.”
GBI has established a Canadian non-profit subsidiary, GB Initiative Canada, to support the growth and previously established use of Green Globes in the Canadian marketplace.
For more information about GBI or Green Globes, visit www.thegbi.org and www.thegbi.org/Canada.