There’s no doubt about it. The movement to build “green” is becoming mainstream. Private owners are calling for green buildings with greater frequency, and some public entities are beginning to mandate it.

In this collection of features dealing with green building and design–and elsewhere in this issue–Southeast Construction provides a look at a couple of recent green projects, one at the University of South Carolina, and another at a contractor’s headquarters in Sarasota, Fla. Also included here is a story that originally appeared on www.ENR.com about a controversial new requirement for the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard. We’ve also included a ranking of the Top Green Design Firms in the region, based upon our annual Top Design survey.

Also, in the columns section of this month’s issue, we’re publishing a few legal opinion articles that deal with some of the new concerns that are coming to the forefront as the green construction movement matures.

See the list of this month's green stories to the left.