National Advocacy Priorities

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At the National level, we participate with the USGBC on a variety of campaigns. This includes supporting LEED as a system for enhancing the value of buildings, supporting the evolution of the LEED rating system, and engaging with industry stakeholders to facilitate our vision of green buildings for everyone within a generation. USGBC advances green building worldwide and we marshal the collective voice of our members and stakeholders to do just that in Massachusetts. Check out the USGBC Public Policy Library for more information federal, state and local level green building policies.

We encourage our members to connect to legislators and policymakers to support:

Government leadership by example 

• All levels of government understand the need to promote green building policy and energy efficiency. Their leadership has repeatedly resulted in saving taxpayer dollars, saving resources and energy, creating and expanding job opportunities, and driving investment in the broader building industry. Governemtn can lead the way towards a sustainable built environment and prosperous future. 
  • 2015 GAO Report: Third-party Green Building Certification Helps Agencies 
  • Better Buildings, Better Policy: A Compilation of Green Building Policy Adoptions in the U.S. 
  • Guiding Green Building Policy 

Private sector market transformation

• Governments promote private sector sustainable building growth through effective incentives and green building policies. USGBC action includes structural incentives, no-cost permitting, information mechanisms, and financial incentives like tax credits and low interest loans. 
  • Coalition to Extend and Improve the 179D Tax Deduction for Energy Efficient Buildings
  • Encouraging Building Energy Improvements Through Tax Incentives
  • Green Buildings for Cool Cities

Raising the bar on codes and regulations

• USGBC raises the bar on green building codes and regulations through local, regional, and national building standards and policy creation. We excel at aligning baseline building code with above-code green building certification using LEED to promote constant improvement.
  • Better Buildings, Better Policy: A Compilation of Green Building Policy Adoptions in the U.S., 2011-2014
  • Greening the Codes Brief
  • State and Local Governments: Applying LEED to Meet Policy Goals

Community-wide sustainability

• Green building policy requires a system approach to sustainability. From effects on local waterways, to toxic materials, to global warming, the community must icorporate all aspects into their policy decisions and understanding. This not only enables economic growth, but also provides opportunities to develop skills in green construction and environmental sustainability while promoting a prosperous and stable future. 
  • 2015 Resilient Cities Summit Report
  • Guiding Principles for Green Affordable Housing
  • Green Building City Market Briefs

For more information

• Check out the national USGBC cite here.
• ​Check out the previous national priorities here.

 

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