USGBC Leads Initiative to Embed Strategies in Gulf Coast Rebuilding Efforts

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), together with the Enterprise Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Trust for Public Land and others, has announced initiatives and ideas designed to assist in the rebuilding efforts of the Gulf Coast communities ravaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The work effort will take place during the council's Greenbuild Conference and Expo in Atlanta on November 9-11, and harness the talents of its more than 10,000 professional attendees and 150 educational sessions.

"This is about collaboration, partnership and leadership," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, chief executive officer and founding chair of USGBC. "The USGBC is committed to providing our specific expertise to helping the citizens of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Texas re-set their roots and restore their communities as viable, vital, healthy and productive places, as quickly as possible and in a way that support them in the long term."

"At Greenbuild, we will devise a plan to offer real services to those that are located in the hurricane stricken regions," said Bill Browning, a partner in the Washington, D.C.-based firm Browning + Banning LLC, and the founder of Rocky Mountain Institute's Green Development Services. "We don't want this to be an academic exercise."