April 19 2016, 16.01 PM IST || Pocket News Alert
New GBCI office in India will serve to facilitate the global expansion of GBCI and its programs
India – (April 19, 2016) – Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI), the premier organization independently recognizing excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally, announced its incorporation in India. The new GBCI office, located in Gurgaon, will serve to facilitate the global growth of GBCI and its sustainability programs.
Established in 2008, GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems as well as the PEER standard for power systems, the WELL building standard, the Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) program, the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), Parksmart for green parking garages and the GRESB benchmark, which is used by institutional investors to improve the sustainability performance of the global property sector.
“Through rigorous certification and credentialing standards, GBCI drives adoption of green business practices, which fosters global competitiveness and enhances environmental performance and human health benefits,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president, GBCI. “And by incorporating GBCI in India, we will be able to continue our efforts to green the built environment in India and across the globe, with new added support and on the ground capabilities.”
Mili Majumdar has been appointed as GBCI’s managing director. Ms. Majumdar brings strong technical and product development support locally while being closely integrated with the global team to help project teams implement the suite of GBCI rating systems.
Leveraging the work done by Gopalkrishnan, USGBC’s regional director for market development in India, GBCI India will act as the South East Asia office of GBCI.
Ms. Majumdar’s previous position was Senior Director, Sustainable Habitat Division, TERI (The Energy Resources Institute) where she led a group of professionals to steer several aspects of sustainable habitats ranging from policy analysis and development, providing technical assistance in designing and implementing green buildings, enabling energy efficiency retrofits in existing buildings, evaluating financial viability of green buildings, and providing technical inputs to various market players to understand and cater to the needs of Indian green building markets. She has led development of GRIHA, the indigenous rating system for green buildings in India. She also guided teams’ work on urban climate resilience in Indian cities and developed models and tools and techniques on climate resilient low cost housing for Nepal and Bangladesh.
“Ms. Majumdar brings extensive experience to GBCI,” added Ramanujam. “She is the perfect fit for complementing our work to drive market transformation in sustainability throughout India. She will be responsible for technical adaptation and customization of the portfolio of GBCI rating systems to the Asia Pacific region and will oversee customer coordination, education and training as well as develop market mechanisms for adoption of the tools and rating systems to the region.”
About the U.S. Green Building Council
USGBC is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org, explore the Green Building Information Gateway (GBIG) and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About LEED
The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system is the world's foremost program for the design, construction, maintenance and operations of green buildings. Every day, 1.7 million square feet (158,000 square meters) of space is certified using LEED in more than 150 countries and territories by the premier organization, GBCI. LEED seeks to optimize the use of natural resources, promote regenerative and restorative strategies, maximize the positive and minimize the negative environmental and human health consequences of the construction industry, and provide high-quality indoor environments for building occupants. Learn more at usgbc.org/LEED.
About GBCI
Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI – or “Green Business Certification Institute” as it’s formally incorporated as in India) is the premier organization for independently recognizing excellence in sustainability performance and practice globally. GBCI exclusively administers project certifications and professional credentials and certificates within the framework of USGBC’s LEED green building rating systems as well as the PEER standard for power systems, the WELL building standard, the EDGE program, the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), Parksmart for green parking garages and the GRESB benchmark. Through rigorous certification and credentialing standards, GBCI drives adoption of green business practices by fostering global competitiveness and enhancing environmental performance and human health benefits.
GBCI has a vision that businesses and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. It is comprised of 140+ staff experts and 600 consultants apportioned into three teams that form a paramount organization through certification, credentialing and customer support. GBCI supports project teams and professionals in more than 150 countries. For more info: www.GBCI.org.