Monday, 10 August 2009
USGBC Plans to Release Second Draft of Forest Certification Benchmark
The Materials and Resources Technical Advisory Group (MR-TAG) and staff of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) are finalizing revisions to the second draft of a benchmark with which the USGBC plans to assess the rigor of forest certification systems for recognition in the LEED green building rating system.
The first draft went to public comment in August 2008 and was widely perceived as ambiguous and lacking important protections for forest ecosystems and forest dependent communities. More than 1,800 comments were received by USGBC, exceeding the average submissions by 2000 percent. FSC-US’s summary comments to USGBC on the first draft of the benchmark are available on the FSC-US website. The MR-TAG and staff have considered these comments and are prepared to present a second draft of the benchmark in late August or early September 2009. FSC-US has been told by USGBC staff that LEED "will not lower the bar for forest certification." We hope that the second draft of the benchmark will prove out this commitment. A recent article from Architecture Week (8/14/09) summarizes what’s at risk.
FSC members, certificate holders and other stakeholders should watch for an alert from FSC-US regarding this critical opportunity to provide feedback to USGBC. Alternatively, you can visit ourgreen building webpage to seek updates regarding the USGBC forest certification benchmark process.