The Green Building Initiative (GBI) recently announced that Greg Bergtold of The Dow Chemical Company, and James Knutson of URS Corporation have joined its Board of Directors.
Bergtold is currently the director of codes and standards for the Dow Building Solutions group at The Dow Chemical Company. He joined Dow in 1990 and transferred to his current position in 2005. He is the author of several papers and articles related to energy and corrosion and co-author of two pending patents.
Knutson is currently the national director of performance contracting solutions within URS Corporation. He brings more than 20 years of experience in energy performance contracting, which is a construction method that allows a facility to complete energy-saving improvements. He has managed a number of high-profile development efforts for higher education, commercial and industrial clients.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Greg and Jim to our Board of Directors,” said Ward Hubbell, executive director of the GBI. “This is an exciting time to be a part of the GBI, as we continue to strengthen our green management tools and make them even more accessible and effective for the mainstream design and building community. It’s an honor to have the support and participation of so many qualified and talented individuals, and we look forward to working with them to further the cause of energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable building.”
Ray Tonjes of Ray Tonjes Builders Inc., chairs the National Association of Home Builders’ Green Building Subcommittee as well as the GBI board. The multi-stakeholder GBI board features 16 directors from industry, NGOs, construction companies, architectural firms and academic institutions. Ultimately, the GBI aims to expand the board to 30 members, consisting of a balanced representation of producers, users and third parties.
The GBI has been named a Standards Developing Organization by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It is currently engaged in the process of establishing Green Globes as the first and only American National Standard for commercial green building. Bylaws for the Green Building Initiative were posted following IRS acceptance of its application for 501(c)(3) status as a public charity and can be found at the GBI Web site, along with a full list of the 16 directors.
