Green Globes: A Practical Alternative

Green Globes is a science-based, collaborative, and user-friendly assessment and rating system that provides a three-in-one evaluation of the environmental sustainability, health and wellness, and resilience of an individual building or an entire portfolio. 

Green Globes creates a roadmap for improving building performance and reducing climate impacts through a collaborative process supported by outstanding staff and expert assessors. Green Globes Assessors are highly qualified individuals that interact directly with teams throughout the process, including visiting the property to review progress toward certification, providing feedback on opportunities for improvement, and collaborating with teams to ensure projects meet their sustainability goals.

Program Features	Green Globes	LEED
Has completed an American National Standard using ANSI-approved consensus process	YES	NO
Nationally Accepted Program	YES	YES
Program Delivery	Online, interactive questionnaire	Online submission of forms
1-on-1 Customer Support	YES	NO
New Construction Assessment	YES	YES
Existing Building Assessment	YES	YES
Core & Shell	YES	YES
Tenant Fitout	YES	YES
Total Program Points	1,000	110 plus prerequisites
Minimum Points Required for Certification	YES	YES
Weighted Criteria & Partial Credit	YES	Limited
Program Prerequisites	NO	YES
Flexibility for Non-Applicable Criteria	YES	NO
Energy Performance (New Construction)	Four pathways for assessing energy performance, including benchmarking to Energy Star	Benchmarks against hypothetical building model
Incorporates Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)	YES	YES
Onsite Building Walk Through with Expert Assessor	YES	NO
Support from Certifying Agency	Green Globes provides an experienced assessor who is either AIA, PE or experienced Facility Manager	LEED assigns a non-technical support person to help the user navigate through the LEED online system
Communication with Certifying Agency	Project teams can communicate with GBI's Chief Engineer  and Project Managers and third-party Green Globes Assessor	LEED does not allow direct contact with technical reviewers unless you are in disagreement during, appeals which occur after the "final" score is delivered
Sustainability Recommendation with Customized Reports	YES	NO
Certification Process	Preliminary Design assessment followed by third-party assessor onsite assessment	Complete and submit assessment form, wait for results
Certification Rating System	Four Green Globes Three Green Globes Two Green Globes One Green Globes	LEED Platinum LEED Gold LEED Silver Certified LEED
Certification Personnel Training Program	Green Globes Professional (GGP)	LEED AP
Time to Complete Certification	Green Globes can be completed within  30 days of building occupancy	Delays have been noted between 6-24 months with added costs for appeals and interpretations
Cost to Certify a Typical Building > 100,000 sq ft	$	$$$
Certification Success Rate	The failure rate is negligible because the Green Globes process is collaborative, transparent and results driven, by way of  online evaluations, detailed reports and third-party assessors	LEED failure rate is high based on buildings that register and do not achieve certification.