Registration is now open for Greenbuild 2023 in Washington, DC   Register

Henrico County Fairfield Area Library | LEED Gold | Photo: Carrie Webster

Henrico County Fairfield Area Library

Transforming the way we do business

To meet our goal of a more equitable world for all, USGBC is committed to encouraging and empowering people, projects and organizations at all scales to incorporate equity into all aspects of decision-making, policy and governance, and implementation. USGBC approaches this work with humility, recognizing there is much to learn and understand.

Equity: the quality of being fair and impartial

USGBC sees our role in equity as taking inclusive action to empower all people to reach their full potential and improve their standard of living regardless of race, class, gender, ability, age, health or economic status. We will do this by working collaboratively with a broad range of stakeholders to develop tools, resources and knowledge to amplify their voices, and incorporate them into action.

USGBC All In for Equity will serve as the framework for USGBC efforts to address social, health and economic disparities in the built environment. The mission of All In for Equity is to encourage and empower all Individuals, organizations and projects to incorporate equity and and make equity “mainstream,” as mainstream as energy efficiency, water savings and accessibility have become as a result of all of our work in sustainability over the past two decades.

Nexus with LEED

Addressing equity means different things at different scales. An individual will have different avenues than an organization, an architectural firm will have different opportunities than a manufacturer. But all must begin to see how they can look at their current actions and begin to make changes to address diversity and inclusion, accessibility, community impact and engagement, environmental justice, empowerment and agency, health and well-being, and other critical issues.

USGBC has initiated programs in support of equity in communities, in schools, and in LEED at the building project scale, the community scale, and the city scale. Equity has been reflected in the LEED rating systems through revisions to intents, incorporation of equity questions into the integrative process credit and the development of new pilot credits.

LEED credits:

  • Social Equity within the Supply Chain: To create more equitable, healthier environments for those affected by and involved in the production of materials and products used in a project, including the stages of raw materials extraction, processing, manufacturing, and assembly of components and products.
  • Social equity within the community: Encourage any and all members of the project team to promote and further social equity by integrating strategies that address identified social and community needs and disparities among those affected by the project.

Resources

Equity Social Equity Planning and Assessment Tool
The tool is intended to encourage and help project teams plan, assess and be recognized for the actions they take to advance equity.
Read the tool.

News & insights about equity

Better Buildings webinar highlights DEI in climate action pl…Advocacy and policy/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/key-community-institutions.jpg?itok=i95kbMJ43Mar 15, 2023kbozhinovaKaterinaBozhinova14689913
Working toward social equity goals as a small business ownerIndustry/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/small-business.jpg?itok=Fc8qLQ4h5Dec 02, 2022chris_615ChristopherSchaffner14502488
Gaining momentum with equity after Greenbuild 2022Events/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/greenbuild-equity.2.jpg?itok=q6QdwL8v2Nov 17, 2022lmcfallLarissaMcFall14477262
Using the LEED Heat Island Reduction credit to combat inequi…LEED/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/heat-island-reduction.jpg?itok=mHrxdC3q3Aug 18, 2022jrosenbluthJesseRosenbluth14346062
Urban Food Studio aims to increase food security in D.C.Industry/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/article_industry_0.png?itok=3EqTcUfd6Dec 08, 2015kseattlejKileyJacques9909500Nancy E. Berry

Read more articles

Accessibility Tools