As an organization, USGBC’s call to action is to execute ideas that drive innovation and transformation. Our shared vision—of regenerative buildings and communities that sustain all life within a generation—is as inclusive as it is actionable, and I firmly believe that our opportunities to realize that vision are limitless.
Our future is global. Our mission—to transform how buildings are designed, built and operated—is also global, and our programmatic platforms, LEED and GBCI, are global. As part of my 2020 Vision for USGBC, data and transparency will be instrumental in expanding LEED’s reach around the globe.
In line with that vision, I’m pleased to say that the USGBC Board of Directors has approved the 2017–2019 strategic plan, which will guide USGBC’s efforts in the coming years and will be implemented and tracked through a detailed market development plan.
READ THE FULL 2017–2019 STRATEGIC PLAN
Strategic imperatives
The strategic imperatives define the key areas of focus that USGBC will pursue in the next three years:
- Expand the green building marketplace
- Expand sustainable, healthy and resilient communities, cities and cultures
- Calibrate and communicate the full benefit of green building, communities, cities and cultures
- Ensure viability through organizational and community excellence
These four complementary and inclusive strategic imperatives create a flexible but focused framework for market expansion, as well as the continuing transformation of the relationship between people and the natural systems that surround us. I recognize that there are many definitions of “green” as a reference to environmental sustainability. I want to affirm now that within the context of our vision, mission and guiding principles, USGBC largely defines “green” through the lens of LEED.
Through this strategic plan, we will transition LEED from a rating system to a comprehensive platform that addresses green buildings, communities, districts, neighborhoods, cities, nations and the planet. The Arc platform will include both the current and future evolutions of LEED itself and will also integrate other aligned GBCI certification standards, along with a variety of protocols, guidelines and systems that the broader green building movement continues to develop.
One of the best ways we can start taking action on this plan is to recommit to collaboration and partnership—bridging the space between organizations, businesses and governments to simultaneously pursue our strategic imperatives across industries. Armed with this clear path provided by our Board, I am confident that USGBC is in the best position to continue to LEED on.