Technical resources
Certification organizations
U.S. Green Building Council
U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit organization working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.
Composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry, the council includes 11,000 member organizations and 75 regional chapters devoted to transforming the building industry to sustainability.
The Green Building Council provides educational offerings on green design, construction and operations. More than 50,000 designers, builders, suppliers and managers have attended USGBC educational programs.
Learn more about U.S. Green Building Council.
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Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance
Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is a nonprofit organization working to encourage the development and adoption of energy-efficient products and services.
The goal of the NEEA is to lower the long-term cost and environmental impact of the region’s electricity system for a healthier economy and a cleaner environment. NEEA is supported by regional electric utilities, public benefits administrators, state governments, public interest groups and efficiency industry representatives.
NEEA operates programs in Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, and is funded by 10 electric utilities, Energy Trust of Oregon and Bonneville Power Administration.
Learn more about Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.
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DesignLights Consortium
The DesignLights™ Consortium is a collaboration of community-based utility companies and regional public service organizations committed to helping builders, architects, designers and commercial property owners implement improved design practices in the commercial lighting market. The consortium’s knowhow® Series Design Guides provides easy-to-use models for designing and specifying lighting in commercial facilities.
Learn more about DesignLights Consortium.
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BetterBricks
BetterBricks is a major program of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. Its goal is to help business professionals understand the power of energy-efficiency to make a real difference in their commercial buildings and their business.
The project’s network of information and services is designed to build awareness and demand for energy-efficiency to help buildings work harder and smarter.
As part of this effort, BetterBricks provides information about the benefits of energy-efficiency for building occupants and owners, including improvements in employee productivity, business profitability and marketplace competitiveness.
Learn more about BetterBricks.
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BEST Business Center
BEST stands for Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow. The BEST Business Center is a collaboration between the City of Portland, Metro, Pacific Power, Portland Development Commission and Portland General Electric.
The organization offers free technical and financial assistance to help businesses in Portland adopt green practices. Their resources cover everything from reducing energy and water use, transportation and waste to green building, sustainability planning and financing.
Learn more about BEST Business Center.
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ACEEE
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy-efficiency to promote economic prosperity and environmental protection.
ACEEE supports this mission by conducting technical and policy assessments, advising policymakers and program managers, and working with businesses, public interest groups and other organizations.
The council also seeks to educate consumers and businesses on the benefits of energy-efficiency by organizing conferences and workshops, publishing books and reports, and providing updates on legislative action.
ACEEE works in collaboration with energy experts from federal and state agencies, utilities, research institutions, businesses and public interest groups.
Learn more about American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
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EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse
EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse is focused on improving the knowledge and applications of electric energy-efficient technologies and practices among Pacific Northwest energy professionals.
EnergyIdeas provides technology summaries, fact sheets, a telephone hotline and archived Q&As categorized by subject. New questions receive an answer in less than eight hours.
Clients can also make use of additional resources, including event listings, educational materials, tailored literature searches and energy calculations, and a variety of other services.
EnergyIdeas is operated and managed by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program and funded by Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.
Learn more about EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse.
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ENERGY STAR®
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. The goal of the program is to help homeowners and businesses save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices.
EPA’s ENERGY STAR partnership offers an energy management strategy that assists in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings and rewarding improvements to benefit the environment and your bottom line.
Businesses have used EPA’s innovative energy performance rating system for more than 30,000 buildings across the country. EPA also recognizes top performing buildings with the ENERGY STAR.
Learn more about ENERGY STAR.
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LEED™: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™, operated by the U.S. Green Building Council program, is a nationally recognized benchmark for design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
A voluntary program, LEED qualifies deserving buildings to receive tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives. Portland has the most LEED-certified buildings of any U.S. city.
LEED offers a comprehensive system including project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources. Their whole-building approach to sustainability recognizes performance in sustainable site development, water savings, energy-efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
LEED-certified projects cost less to operate and maintain, are energy- and water-efficient and have higher lease-up rates than conventional buildings in their markets.
Learn more about LEED.
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