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Neenah, Wis. – Miron Construction Co., Inc., along with more than 1,200 leading businesses representing various industries across all 50 states, reiterated its support for the government’s use of the United States Green Building Council’s voluntary Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program to advance innovation in construction and save taxpayer dollars.

In a letter sent last month to the General Services Administration (GSA), organizations and companies urged the continued use of LEED to reduce operating costs, save money and eliminate waste. The signatories commended GSA for its leadership in improving the energy and environmental performance of federal buildings, citing the recently released sustainability and energy “scorecard” from the White House’s budget office. The study found that federal government investments in energy efficiency over the last four years are expected to save as much as $18 billion in lifecycle energy costs.

“Green building is essential for GSA to meet their environmental goals and for reducing operational and maintenance costs,” said Theresa Lehman, director of sustainable services for Miron Construction and co-chair of the Advocacy Committee of Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, the local affiliate chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. “The LEED green building rating system is the most well-known and nationally-accepted benchmark for green design, construction and operation, and it’s critical that Wisconsin businesses support its use.”

In Wisconsin, there are:

• 485 LEED-registered or certified projects comprising more than 20 million square feet of LEED-certified space
• 183 LEED certified facilities and 302 projects that are registered to seek LEED certification
• 195 organizations headquartered in Wisconsin that are members of USGBC employ more than 111,000 people and gross more than $15 billion in annual revenue
• 2,124 LEED credentialed professionals

Signatories of the letter are building owners, developers, non-profit organizations, architects, engineers, builders, contractors, designers, planners and product manufacturers. Wisconsin signatories include Wisconsin Green Building Alliance, Marriott, CBRE Commercial Real Estate Services, HGA, KJWW Engineering Consultants, Miron Construction Co., Inc., Sustainable Engineering Group LLC, Johnson Controls, and Kohler Co, in addition to other high-profile businesses.

The executives lauded GSA’s decision to mirror the private sector in the use of LEED certification as a roadmap to more efficient, healthier buildings. They urged GSA to continue to use LEED and to focus on the “usability, market acceptance and effectiveness of rating tools rather than distractions focused on a single issue.”

“If GSA deviated from LEED, the economic impact would be devastating and would add cost to the building and leasing process for GSA,” Lehman continued. “Being a part of integrating LEED into GSA projects has taken years to train people on both the federal government side and on the design and construction service side. As a member of USGBC Faculty, I have trained hundreds of people from the Corps of Engineers and several branches of the military, in addition to thousands of people providing services to GSA. To go with another green building rating system would be an incredible undertaking. It would make more sense to stick with an industry-familiar rating system and have GSA partner with USGBC to create a market-specific green building rating system for government facilities, similar to LEED for Schools and LEED for Health Care.”

“Support for the continued use of LEED by GSA is both broad and deep,” said Roger Platt, senior vice president of global policy and law for USGBC. “Our more than 13,000 member companies are fully engaged in the development and use of LEED. Clearly, there is incredible agreement on the value of LEED and green building in general.”

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About Wisconsin Green Building Alliance
The Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (WGBA) is a non-profit educational organization that serves the state of Wisconsin. We are an affiliate of the US Green Building Council and represent USGBC and its programs in Wisconsin. Our Members and Board are a diverse group, demonstrating the appeal of Green Building to all sectors of industry and society. We bring people together in a professional network focused on sustainability, and work to promote green business activity within our member network. Visit WGBA at www.wgba.org.

About U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of healthy, efficient green buildings. USGBC is predominantly known for the publication of the LEED Green Building Rating System. Private sector leaders established LEED in 2000 and it has quickly become the most widely used, voluntary, market-driven building rating program in the country. LEED is largely responsible for the explosive growth of energy- efficient, high-performance construction, which supports or creates nearly eight million jobs across all 50 states and contributes $554 billion to the U.S. economy annually. 48 companies in the Fortune 100 use LEED certification to reduce operating and energy costs and to increase their bottom lines. LEED-certified buildings are also saving U.S. taxpayers tens millions of dollars every day through these same efficiencies.

USGBC is working with all stakeholders, including companies across all sectors of the building industry, to ensure that LEED remains the most widely used and accepted high performance building rating system in the country. Nearly 1,300 product manufacturers are members of the U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees LEED. Manufacturers are the third largest segment of USGBC membership, behind architects and engineering firms, and builders and contractors.

About Miron Construction
Miron Construction Co., Inc., recently named 2012 Contractor of the Year by ENR Midwest, is a forward-thinking, fast-growing private company completing work throughout the nation. Miron is currently listed 115th among all general contractors in the United States and among the top 10 construction companies serving the Midwest by Engineering News Record (based on revenue figures for 2011). Miron provides innovative pre-construction, construction management, design-build and general construction services and is headquartered in Neenah, Wis., with regional offices in Madison, Wausau and Milwaukee, Wis., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Negaunee, Mich., and Virginia, Minn. Miron is also the Official Provider of Construction Services for the Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field. For more information, please visit miron-construction.com.