Public Relations Guidelines for LEED Projects 6 Easy Steps

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1 Public Relations Guidelines for LEED Projects 6 Easy Steps Congratulations! Your project is joining a select group of sustainable and innovative buildings that are LEEDcertified. These public relations guidelines will help your organization promote your project within your community and to the media. Here are some ideas to help get you started: Step One Distribute a press release. We encourage your organization to issue a press release publicly announcing your certification both to capitalize on your achievement and to honor the project team that made your LEED certification possible. To help maximize your company s exposure, USGBC can provide or approve a quote from its CEO for use in the release. Please review the branding information, sample press releases and quotes included in this packet. Once a project has been LEED certified, the LEED plaque graphic appropriate to the level of certification (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum) may be used in collateral and other materials depicting the project, including the press release. Step Two Hold a certification ceremony. The LEED Plaque is awarded to projects that have earned LEED certification based on formal review of project documentation by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). The project organization is welcome to hold a plaque presentation or ceremony either publicly or privately, and in many cases someone from one of USGBC s local chapters will attend the event to honor the project team and present the plaque. To request a local chapter representative at your event, please contact your local chapter: To request a USGBC representative at your event, visit and fill out the certification ceremony request form. When planning your ceremony, be sure to allow about three weeks for plaque delivery following receipt of your order form. Step Three Send USGBC your photos. USGBC is always looking for high-resolution digital photos of certified projects for use in our marketing efforts including promotional advertisements, literature, Web sites and news articles. We will use your photos to help your project gain publicity in prominent trade and mainstream publications through our branded outreach. Photos can be sent to marketing@usgbc.org. Step Four Send USGBC a testimonial. How has achieving LEED certification helped you? Have you noticed a significant change in energy and natural resource consumption? Are you saving money? Submit a quote or testimonial about how LEED certification has benefitted you. Your testimonial can be sent to marketing@usgbc.org. Step Five Publish your certification information to your Web site. By publishing information about your project to your Web site, you will drive Internet users looking for green building information to your organization s online presence. All LEED certified projects are also posted to the USGBC Web site, Step Six Create a case study. Submit your project for display on the U.S. Department of Energy Web site. Visit the "Submit a Project" page online at and submit your data directly to the database.

2 Branding Guidelines for Your Press Release USGBC Name The official organization name is the U.S. Green Building Council. USGBC is the official acronym. Use the complete name on any first reference. Subsequent references in copy may use USGBC. NOTE: When using USGBC as a noun, do not precede with the. For example: Contact USGBC for more information. Green Building Certification Institute The official organization name is the Green Building Certification Institute. GBCI is the official acronym. Use the complete name on any first reference. Subsequent references in copy may use GBCI. LEED Rating System LEED as a registered trademark of the U.S. Green Building Council does not have to be spelled out in the first reference; however, the complete name is the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification program. LEED the registered trademark superscript is only necessary for the first use in a short document or the first use in each section of a longer document if desired. Following the first mention, use LEED. Trademarks The U.S. Green Building Council owns the following trademark registrations: U.S. Green Building Council USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design LEED USGBC Logo LEED Logo Greenbuild Logo Certification Levels There are four levels of LEED Certification Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. When a project achieves certification it should be referred to as a LEED-certified project (not: LEED for New Construction certified or LEED for Commercial Interiors v2.0 certified). If appropriate, supporting text may be written that gives additional detail about the specific rating system under which the project was certified. "LEED certification" with lowercase "c" is used to describe the certification process. "LEED certified" with lowercase "c" is used to describe a project that has been certified. "LEED Certified" with capital "C" (and no hyphen) is used to describe a project that has been certified to the base level: Certified. When a project is certified, the correct wording is "project A is LEED Silver" or "project A is LEED certified to the Silver level" or "project A is LEED Silver certified." Due to repetition, the wording "project A is LEED Certified certified" is not recommended. "Certified" to reference both certification and level is sufficient.

3 Sample Press Release XXX Awarded Prestigious LEED Green Building Certification Date, (City, State) -- The XXX announced today that it has been awarded LEED (level of certification) established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. QUOTE FROM THE PROJECT (INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT). XXX achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. By using less energy and water, LEED certified building save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL QUOTE LEED certification of XXX was based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project itself and the broader community. These features include: BULLET POINT LIST OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES ### U.S. Green Building Council The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students. Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs. LEED The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED green building certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Over 100,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED rating systems, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 114 countries. By using less energy, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. USGBC was co-founded by current President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi, who spent 25 years as a Fortune 500 executive. Under his 15-year leadership, the organization has become the preeminent green building, membership, policy, standards, influential, education and research organization in the nation. For more information, visit

4 Sample Quotes from USGBC If your company wishes to include a quote attributed to a USGBC spokesperson, the following quotes can be used and are to be attributed to Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. If you would like to seek approval on an alternate quote, please contact our media department at media@usgbc.org. XXX s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership, said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. The urgency of USGBC s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and XXX serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish. The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most-important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy and threats to human health, said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. The work of innovative building projects such as XXX is a fundamental driving force in the green building movement. Building operations are nearly 40% of the solution to the global climate change challenge, said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. While climate change is a global problem, innovative companies like XXX are addressing it through local solutions. With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC s vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation, said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, XXX is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement. Buildings are a prime example of how human systems integrate with natural systems, said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. The XXX project efficiently uses our natural resources and makes an immediate, positive impact on our planet, which will tremendously benefit future generations to come. The strength of USGBC has always been the collective strength of our leaders in the building industry," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "Given the extraordinary importance of climate protection and the central role of the building industry in that effort, XXX demonstrates their leadership through their LEED certification of XXX.

5 Helpful Contacts USGBC main line: Marketing/Communications/Media: Logo/branding Usage: Marnetta McLeod Certification Ceremony Representative Request: Plaque/Certifícate Ordering: