THE SIZE AND IMPACT OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

• The U.S. non-residential buildings inventory includes more than 5 million buildings.
  
  
• Those buildings consume 39% of all energy used in the U.S., including 70% of all electricity.
  
  
• Buildings use 12% of all potable water – 15 trillion gallons per year.
  
  
• Buildings use 40% of raw materials globally (3 billion tons annually).
  
  
• Non-residential buildings construction value for 2007 totaled nearly $450 billion dollars.
  
  
• The total U.S. construction industry (commercial, residential and industrial) represents about 14% of the $10 trillion U.S. Gross Domestic Product – about $1.4 trillion annually.

THE GREEN BUILDING MARKET – SIGNIFICANT...AND GROWING

• According to FMI’s Green Building Forecast report, $13.4 billion worth of non-residential green construction was put in place in 2006. In 2008, $21.2 billion of all new non-residential construction will use green-building principles, a 58% increase in just two years and a 110% increase since 2005. That market is projected to triple over the next three years.
  
  
• Accounting for more than 80% of total non-residential green construction in 2008, the three largest segments for commercial green building are offices, education and health care.
  
  
• Green buildings report using 32% less energy; 26% less natural gas; and 36% less total energy than traditional buildings, according to the USGBC.
  

LEEDING THE WAY TO A GREENER FUTURE

In 2000, when the U.S. Green Building Council launched its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, the organization registered 46 projects and certified 13 buildings. As of February 2008, the USGBC reports the following:

• 6,223 LEED- New Construction registered building projects; an additional 952 have completed certification.
  
  
• 926 LEED-Existing Building registered building projects; an additional 68 have completed certification.
  
  
• 9,867 total LEED-registered projects; 1,283 total LEED-certified projects.
  
  
• Nearly 3.2 billion square feet of commercial floor space is involved in LEED.
  
  
• Every business day, $464 million worth of construction registers with LEED.
  
  
• Between 2001 and 2006, USGBC membership increased from 500 to 10,000 members.
  
  
• 12 federal agencies have adopted LEED standards and 22 states, 55 cities, 11 counties and 8 towns have passed LEED-related adoptions, many of which require public buildings to serve as models of sustainability.
  
  
• There are LEED projects in all 50 states.
  

Sources: U.S. Green Building Council, FMI 2008 U.S. Markets Construction Overview,  McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics, SmartMarket Trends Report 2008.