USGBC's LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system receives Renewable Natural Resources Foundation's Outstanding Achievement Award

Lorena Madrigal

WASHINGTON , November 14, 2011 (press release) – The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system has been recognized by the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation (RNRF) with its 2011 Outstanding Achievement Award. LEED for Neighborhood Development integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design. The rating system was honored at an awards ceremony held on Nov. 10 in Washington, DC.

"LEED for Neighborhood Development is transforming communities around the world into walkable, sustainable and economically thriving communities," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, USGBC. "Being recognized with the Outstanding Achievement Award by the Foundation is truly an honor and further validates the important work we are doing through the rating systems' development and refinement."

The annual award recognizes a project, publication, piece of legislation, or similar concrete accomplishment in the natural resources field. USGBC shares the award with its collaborators on the rating system - the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). 101 projects have completed at least one stage of certification in the pilot program and of the 115 projects that have registered under LEED-ND 2009, two have now completed a stage of certification.

RNRF is a consortium of professional, scientific and educational organizations that are advancing interdisciplinary science, understanding, and stewardship of renewable natural resources.
"LEED for Neighborhood Development is a natural and important extension of the LEED green buildings program and the partnership between USGBC, CNU and NRDC enhances the credibility and substance of the program," said Robert Day, Executive Director, RNRF. "Our award recognizes the program as both outstanding and beneficial to advancing sustainable development."

Previous winners of the RNRF Outstanding Achievement Award include: Michigan's Water Withdrawal Assessment Process of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (2010), Dig It! The Secrets of Soil, an exhibition in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History (2009), Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane Protection: Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (2008), and National Coastal Assessment of the U.S. EPA- Gulf Ecology Division (2007).

To learn more about LEED for Neighborhood Development, visit usgbc.org/ND.

About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 79 local affiliates, nearly 16,000 member organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. GDP from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org, on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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