certification. By 2005, 10 large projects, with a total construction area of
5 million square feet, were LEED certified.
Individual developers are not the only ones contributing to this environ-
mental push: certain cities are beginning to offer financial incentives to devel-
opers who use energy-efficient building technologies. The Ministry of Science
and Technology, a branch of the Chinese government that coordinates science
and technology activities throughout China, has become increasingly
interested in LEED.
India, much like the United States, has its own green building organization,
known as the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The IGBC, a part of the
Confederation of Indian Industry, sponsors its own version of LEED, known
as LEED-India. This rating system is very similar to the USGBC version of
LEED; however, there are currently only two LEED certification types under
the IGBC: LEED India for New Construction (LEED India NC), and LEED
India for Core and Shell (LEED India CS). In addition to these two LEED
certifications, the IGBC also sponsors two other certifications: the IGBC
Green Homes Rating, and the IGBC Green Factory Certification, which was
still under development as of this writing. Currently, the IGBC has certified
34 different buildings under their LEED-India program.
Canada has a green building organization as well, the Canada Green Build-
ing Council (CGBC), with its own version of LEED, LEED-Canada. Accord-
ing to the CGBC, the Canadian LEED certification is an adaptation of the
USGBC LEED certification which is tailored specifically for Canadian cli-
mates, construction practices, and regulations, although for certain projects
Canadian builders use the USGBC’s version of LEED. The CGBC, which
was established in December 2002, obtained an exclusive license in July 2003
from the USGBC to adapt the LEED rating system to Canadian climates
and standards. At the time of this writing, the CGBC had certified 104 build-
ings through the LEED-Canada program, and 55 using the USGBC LEED
program.
Other countries, including Mexico and Brazil, are currently working on
local adaptations of the USGBC LEED program. Many countries that do
not have LEED programs of their own are beginning to use the USGBC
LEED certification. Australia, Germany, Sri Lanka, Israel, and the United
Arab Emirates all have LEED certified projects. Some of the LEED-certified
buildings were certified prior to development and establishment of national
or local rating systems. For example, in the United Arab Emirates, both
Abu Dhabi and Dubai recently instituted their own rating systems. In addition
to the LEED certification, over 18 countries have green building certifications
of their own.
Energy and Sustainability 193