The United States has established several sustainable design organizations and programs.

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and Greenbuild, a green building conference that promotes the green building industry. As of September 2008, USGBC has more than 17,000 member organizations from every sector of the building industry and works to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. To achieve this it has developed a variety of programs and services, and works closely with key industry and research organizations and federal, state and local government agencies. USGBC also offers a host of educational opportunities, including workshops and Web-based seminars to educate the public and industry professionals on different elements of the green building industry, from the basics to more technical information. Through its Green Building Certification Institute, USGBC offers industry professionals the chance to develop expertise in the field of green building and to receive accreditation as green building professionals.

The National Association of Home Builders, a trade association representing home builders, remodelers and suppliers to the industry, has created a voluntary residential green building program known as NAHBGreen (www.nahbgreen.org). The program includes an online scoring tool, national certification, industry education, and training for local verifiers. The online scoring tool is free to builders and to homeowners.

The Green Building Initiative is a non-profit network of building industry leaders working to mainstream building approaches that are environmentally progressive, but also practical and affordable for builders to implement. The GBI has developed a web-based rating tool called Green Globes, which is being upgraded in accordance with ANSI procedures.^[21]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program rates commercial buildings for energy efficiency and provides Energy Star qualifications for new homes that meet its standards for energy efficient building design.

In 2005, Washington State became the first state in the United States to enact green building legislation.^[22] According to the law, all major public agency facilities with a floor area exceeding 5,000 square feet (465 m²), including state funded school buildings, are required to meet or exceed LEED standards in construction or renovation. The projected benefits from this law are 20% annual savings in energy and water costs, 38% reduction in waste water production and 22% reduction in construction waste.

Charlottesville, Virginia became one of the first small towns in the United States to enact green building legislation.^[23] This presents a significant shift in construction and architecture as LEED regulations have formerly been focused on commercial construction. If US homeowner interest grows in "green" residential construction, the companies involved in the production and manufacturing of LEED building materials will become likely candidates for tomorrow's round of private equity and IPO investing.^[24][25]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building_in_the_United_States

• GreenBuilding.com Website centered around green building and training
• Common Fire - Overview of Green Building (a companion site to one of the certified greenest buildings in the US)
• Green building at the Open Directory Project
• NEF — the National Energy Foundation
• WBCSD Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Building Website
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Green Building Blog
• U.S. Green Building Council
• Romania Green Building Council (Basic green building articles)
• Green building training videos
• Sustainable Building Alliance
• American Institute of Architects Top Ten Green Projects
• Code for Sustainable Homes (via the UK Government's Planning Portal)
• Proceedings From Water and Cities, Simon Fraser University
• Overview of Eco Building topics, CH+D Magazine
• Energy-efficient buildings, The Financial Times, April 27 2009
• U.S. Dept of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website DOE details "Builders Challenge" energy efficiency program
• Bioclimatic architecture (CENER/CIEMAT)