On March 26, 2009, in Portland, The Green Building Initiative (GBI) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) joined forces and each of its leaders signed a memorandum of understanding.

In a co-press release from the two organizations, they state that the memo pledges “to work together to promote the design and construction of energy efficient and environmentally responsible buildings.”

Ward Hubbell, President of GBI expressed his excitement about the venture:

We look forward to continuing our work with them (AIA) towards our shared goal of achieving widespread acceptance of sustainable design and construction practices.

Chris McEntee, Executive Vice President and CEO of the AIA, boldly stated that they “look forward to working with the GBI on our common goal of reaching carbon neutral buildings by 2030.”

The high points of the agreement are:

-  Through education and training, promote design of energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally responsible buildings;

-  Research green buildings to see what the outcomes are related to economic and environmental performance;

What does this mean for Louisiana green building projects?

We’re not entirely sure yet, but hopefully partnerships like this will spur on other organizations to step up their commitment to greener construction.

Further, with the AIA / GBI partnership, and the AIA’s “Walk the Walk” green promotion, we’ll soon see some interest in blending green building principals, submittals and issues in the popular contract documents.