About Us
What We Do
MISSION
Green Building United advances an equitable transition to a climate- friendly and healthy built environment through education, advocacy, and strategic initiatives.
VISION
A sustainable, healthy, and resilient environment for all.
WHY BUILDINGS MATTER
We’re born in them, we go to school in them, we work in them, and we go home to them every day. While we mostly take them for granted, the way we design, build, and operate buildings and their sites has a profound impact on environmental quality, on the local economy, and on public health.
Climate change is here. It has indisputably altered our region’s weather in the past decade and will continue to demand more of our built environment in the years to come.
Buildings are the primary driver of climate change in our region, and by far the best opportunity to mitigate and to adapt to future climate impacts.
WHAT WE DO
Green Building United promotes the development of buildings that are sustainable, healthy for inhabitants, resilient, and cost-effective. Through education, advocacy, and strategic initiatives Green Building United informs and engages individuals and organizations to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated.
WHO WE ARE and WHO WE SERVE
Green Building United (founded in 2001, as Delaware Valley Green Building Council) is a member-driven, mission-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are a chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, and have active Passive House and Living Future Communities. We serve the greater Philadelphia area, Lehigh Valley, and the State of Delaware (see a map of our region).
Green Building United convenes building industry and sustainability professionals with an interest in, or a commitment to, improving the built environment for the benefit of the entire region. Our work impacts more than 1.5 million Philadelphia residents and 4.5 million in our region.
We achieve our mission through the generous support of sustaining partners, individual members, donors, and funders. With more than 620 members and a dedicated network of volunteers, we are excited to see our impact continue to grow in the region.
Learn more about our organization's history.
See our FAQ page for commonly asked questions and answers about our organization.
2020 Impact Report
2019 Impact Report
2018 Impact Report
Education
We offer a broad range of CEU-approved educational opportunities, from webinars to conferences.
Advocacy
We advance sustainability in the built environment at the regional scale through issue and legislative advocacy.
Initiatives
We lead and support several strategic initiatives across our region including the Philadelphia 2030 District.
Organizational History
Founding Board: First Row: Rob Fleming, Sandy Wiggins, Charlie Tomlinson. Second Row: Pat Imperato, Dan Garofalo, Michelle Knapik. Third Row: Scott Kelly, Linda Knapp, Bill Kline. Back Row: Jeff Hayes, Joe Weidle, George Wilson.
2006 Board Retreat - First Row: George Wilson, Janice Woodcock, Rob Fleming, Dan Garofalo, Jim Lutz. Second Row: Linda Knapp, Lisa Grayson Zygmunt, Lorna Rosenberg, Avi Golen, Mark Purcell, Charlie Tomlinson, Pat Imperato, Scott Kelly, David Gifford, Richard Hankin. Third Row: Kevin O'Toole, Joseph Healy, Dale Sutherland, Jill Kowalski, Peter Levasseur, Rob Diemer. Back Row: José Almiñana, Sandy Wiggins, Jeffery Hayes