Thanks to a $3-million grant from Google Inc., the U.S. Green Building Council plans to build a body of scientific evidence around the content of green building products and materials. USGBC says the research will make it easier to have discussions with interested parties, including opponents of the expanded eco-friendly product credits in the proposed update of LEED—the USGBC's green building rating system.
The credits discourage the use of products with content deemed harmful to human health and the environment. The "credits [for ingredient transparency] have been causing lots of anxiety," says Scot Horst, Washington, D.C.-based USGBC senior vice president for LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Under the grant, "we will reach out to stakeholders and work with people we know we may not agree with," he adds.