ASHRAE and the Green Building Initiative have signed an agreement to work together to accelerate the adoption of sustainable buildings.

“ASHRAE supports a wide variety of programs that encourage the sustainable design and operation of buildings,” said Bill Harrison, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers president. “Tools such as GBI’s Green Globes rating system help to provide metrics through which building owners and operators can gauge a building’s sustainability performance. Pushing forward the built environment to improve sustainability will require a collaborative effort among a myriad of organizations. ASHRAE looks forward to collaborating with GBI and other organizations.”

“The GBI is delighted to finalize this agreement and begin working with ASHRAE on our shared goal of increasing sustainable building principles,” said Ward Hubbell, president of the initiative. “Improving the built environment is an enormous task and we can’t afford to just focus on new construction. An important aspect of this agreement is that both organizations will work to promote the importance using actual performance data to ensure that our buildings are performing in an efficient and environmentally friendly manner.”

The agreement calls for the two groups to promote the design, construction and operation of buildings that are energy efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible. Both groups will also look to provide education and training, encourage environmental research, and support and promote green-building standards.