| The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has just released the much-anticipated LEED for Existing Building (LEED-EB) Green Building Rating System. Previously in pilot, the rating system has been fully balloted by the USGBC membership and is ready to launch. LEED-EB was designed to meet market demand for an existing building rating system following the success of LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC), the USGBC’s current rating system for new construction. LEED-EB makes LEED certification available to existing buildings and provides an opportunity for ongoing recertification for previously certified LEED buildings. LEED-EB helps building owners and managers bring the performance of their buildings up to a high level and maintain high performance over the long term. Benefits of LEED-EB include energy savings, water savings, and healthier indoor environments. The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building. About USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 5,200 member companies and organizations, a 40-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED® products and services, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of 67 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. USGBC's website is: http://www.usgbc.org/ | 
