CRC Recognized By USGBC's CEO, President and Founding Chair!!!

Dear Leaders,

As the year concludes with this joyful holiday season, all of us in the USGBC family are celebrating the achievements of the green building movement in 2011, and looking ahead to 2012 with great anticipation. As a USGBC chapter leader, you stand at the core of our success, advancing our mission at the local and state levels, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

In 2011, chapters got creative about education. The Urban Green Council launched the Green Professional Building Skills Training program (GPRO), a national certificate program targeted at contractors, building trades, and building operators. The San Diego Chapter launched the San Diego Green Assistance Program , which aids local non-profits and community centers that wish to green their buildings. The New Jersey, Alabama, and Rhode Island Chapters received grants to focus on education for green job creation. And chapters across the country worked in partnership with USGBC to support the inaugural class of the Emerging Professionals Leadership Academy, a mutually beneficial program that facilitates two-way education with our future leaders.

Chapters made tremendous impact on local and state government policy over the course of the year. The Charlotte Chapter worked closely with local business and government leaders to declare Oct. 24-28 Environmental Sustainability Week, coinciding with a series of sustainability-oriented programs hosted by the chapter. The Delaware Valley Green Building Council received a USGBC Innovation Grant, enabling the development of an online "action alert" system. The California Advocacy Committee , representing all eight California chapters, kicked off its first year of statewide collaboration around green building policy and advocacy with a new, community-developed model for decision-making and engagement and already has a list of wins.

This is just a small sample of your significant achievements this year. With LEED 2012, Greenbuild San Francisco and progress on the political and economic fronts, next year promises to be one of the best yet for USGBC and the green building movement. Thank you for your continued commitment to our collective mission and for effectively representing USGBC where it means so much - in our schools and neighborhoods, cities and communities where the real work gets done.

With deep appreciation,


S. Richard Fedrizzi
CEO, President and Founding Chair
USGBC