AASHE, ecoAmerica, and Second Nature Receive US Green Building Council Leadership Award

(Lexington KY, November 17, 2009) The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), ecoAmerica, and Second Nature - the three organizations that launched the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment - have been awarded the prestigious US Green Building Council Leadership Award for Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) as recognition of their vision, leadership, and commitment to the evolution of green building design and construction by working with higher education. The award ceremony took place at the annual US Green Building Council's Greenbuild Conference in Phoenix, Arizona on November 13th with an estimated 28,000 people in attendance.

“It is a great honor to receive this award from USGBC, an organization that has set high standards for sustainability,” said Paul Rowland, AASHE Executive Director. “The AASHE staff and board of directors have been essential in providing opportunities for higher education to provide a leadership in committing to climate neutrality. I am proud of them, as well as all of the signatories, for stepping into this leadership role."

Since its inception in early 2007, 662 college and university presidents, representing 35% of the college student population, have joined the ACUPCC and committed to neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions on their campuses, dedicating research and programs to the development of climate change solutions, and training their students to address the climate crisis upon graduation.

Said Rick Fedrizzi, President and CEO of the US Green Building Council, "Those receiving this year's awards are among the most influential green building leaders in the country. [Their] achievements are bedrock to our mission of transforming the built environment." According to the USGBC, there are nearly 4,000 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered projects on the nation's campuses. The USGBC and ACUPCC leaders are working to fully transform the higher education sector so that schools educate and model for the rest of society completely sustainable operations, including green building practices and renewable energy use, resulting in dramatic reductions in pollution and energy costs.