GBI’s Green Globes for Existing Buildings 2023 Achieves Approval as American National Standard

Portland, Ore. – The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announces the release of ANSI/GBI 02-2023: Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Existing Buildings, which was approved as an American National Standard (ANS) by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on July 6, 2023. Following ANSI’s approval, GBI’s Board of Directors unanimously voted on July 28 to approve and publish ANSI-GBI 02-2023, also known as Green Globes for Existing Buildings 2023 or Green Globes EB 23.  Building and portfolio teams seeking certification using the latest version of Green Globes EB 23 can as of September 27, 2023, register and access the newest module here.

Green Globes for EB 2023 becomes the second ANSI standard implementation in the Green Globes certification suite. “GBI’s commitment to using an open, balanced and third-party audited consensus process for development of its rating systems dates back to our founding in 2004,” said Vicki Worden, GBI President & CEO. “We are delighted to follow through on that commitment delivering our second ANS to the industry to support the greening of existing buildings with Green Globes EB 23.”

Notable updates to Green Globes EB 2023 include:

  • Pathways for Net Zero Carbon and Net Zero Energy
  • Additional points for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
  • Updates to Health and Wellness focus
  • Updated Resilience criteria
  • Revised ESG Reporting methodology
  • Refined Cleaning and Disinfection oprions
  • Significantly enhanced to Site Assessment and Remediation

“The Green Globes EB 23 standard is the result of the collaborative efforts of experts working to further the consistency and standardization of GBI’s assessment processes,” stated Brenda Steinhauer, Quality Manager for W.A. Richardson, Chair of the GBI Standards Committee, and director on GBI’s Board of Directors.

Development of Green Globes for EB 23 began in the Spring of 2021. GBI issued three open public comment periods and received 93 comments, reviewed in over 75 public meetings. Over 35 stakeholders from a variety of disciplines participated in the development process American Institute of Steel Construction, U.S. EPA, IAPMO, Kiewit, and American Lung Association among many others.  “Working through ANSI provides due process for all public commenters and achieving ANSI approval validates the efforts of all involved,” added Steinhauer.

Green Globes for EB 2023 allows building and portfolio managers to scale their sustainability, health and wellness, and resilience strategies through a cost- and time-efficient assessment process that is accessible to all buildings. The module will follow a two-year continuous maintenance cycle to allow for updates that help ensure GBI standards reflect the innovation occurring consistently in the commercial real estate space.

Registration is now open for project teams interested in certifying their commercial buildings and/or portfolios with Green Globes for EB 2023. Interested parties can create a project to view criteria, scoring matrices, and assessment guidance and interact with the online questionnaire.

The Standard and information to participate in the next round of revisions to ANSI/GBI 02-2023: Green Globes Assessment Protocol for Existing Buildings is available on GBI’s website. Learn more about GBI’s green building standards.