Related Organizations

Follow the links below to find more information about green building in the Greater Pittsburgh area, as well as in

Greater Pittsburgh Region Green Service Organizations
Greater Pittsburgh Region Professional Organizations
Green Building Organizations in Other Regions
National Green Building Organizations
Governmental Assistance


Greater Pittsburgh Region Green Service Organizations

Affordable Comfort: A non-profit, educational service organization that promotes energy and resource efficiency, comfort, health, safety, affordability, and durability in buildings, focusing on those buildings in which people live, and the people who live in them.

Bike Pittsburgh!: A Pittsburgh-based cycling safety, advocacy and awareness organization with a wealth of local cycling information, news, events, links, and community information.

Community Design Center: An organization that works to facilitate the improvement of design at the neighborhood level as a means of fostering community reinvestment and citizen participation by providing assistance and resources for communities and homeowners.

Conservation Consultants, Inc.: A non-profit organization whose mission is responsible energy use in homes and other buildings; offers a range of energy consulting services and energy education programs to improve energy efficiency and comfort in new and existing buildings.

Construction Junction: Western Pennsylvania's first non-profit retail warehouse for affordably priced surplus and used building materials.

Cool Space Locator: An organization that recycles forgotten buildings in the heart of the city, attracting forward-thinking businesses, retaining the region's creative youth, and creating a model for sustainable growth.

Healthy Home Resources: Supports communities and families in creating and maintaining healthy homes free from in-home hazards like lead poisoning. Healthy Home Resources administers two well-known lead poisoning prevention programs: CLEARCorps/Pittsburgh (Community Lead Education And Reduction Corps) and The Lead Safe Pittsburgh Coalition.

Manchester Craftsmen's Guild: Manchester Craftsmen's Guild is a multi-discipline, minority directed, center for arts and learning that employs the visual and performing arts to foster a sense of accomplishment and hope in the urban community.

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA): The nation's leading regional membership organization focused on promoting the understanding, development, and adoption of energy conservation and non-polluting, renewable energy technologies; programs and activities focus on the northeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Maine.

Rainforest Alliance / Pennsylvania Certified Forest Products Initiative: An organization that seeks to improve linkages between suppliers of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forest products and potential users of certified wood, especially in the growing green building movement.

Pennsylvania Environmental Council: A statewide organization that works on issues of air quality, water resource protection, land use and growth management, and the re-use of contaminated industrial sites.

Pennsylvania Resources Council: A nonprofit citizens' action organization that seeks solutions to environmental problems through dialogue among industry, government and grass-roots organizations.

Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation: A non-profit historic preservation group serving Allegheny County that is dedicated to identifying and preserving the architectural landmarks, historic neighborhoods and historic designed landscapes of Allegheny County.

Sustainable Pittsburgh: A non-partisan, civic forum that advocates the integration of economic growth, environmental health, and social equity as the foundation for high quality of life and long-term prosperity of southwestern Pennsylvania. Sustainable Pittsburgh also has a Champions for Sustainability program that accelerates the practice and policy of sustainability in business and civic circles.

Three Rivers Wet Weather Demonstration Program: A program that is committed to improving the quality of Allegheny County's water resources by helping communities address the issue of untreated sewage and storm water overflowing into the region's waterways.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: A non-profit organization whose mission is to enrich the human relationship with the natural world by saving the places we care about.

Greater Pittsburgh Region Professional Organizations:

America Institute of Architects (AIA), Pittsburgh Chapter: The objective of AIA Pittsburgh is to improve the quality of the built environment by further raising the standards of architectural education, training and practice; fostering design excellence; and promoting the value of architectural practices to the public.

American Planning Association (APA), Pennsylvania Chapter: APA is a professional trade association comprised of both publicly and privately employed planners, sponsoring a number of professional, educational, and social events during the year. A number of their events have incorporated sustainable planning elements.

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Pittsburgh Chapter: ASHRAE is an international organization of 50,000 persons with chapters throughout the world. The Pittsburgh ASHRAE chapter is interested in assisting with local green education focusing on sustainable building techniques.

American Society of Interior Designers (ASID): ASID is the leading professional organization for interior designers with the largest residential and commercial membership. Locally, ASID is interested in developing local green design educational projects. Nationally, ASID is involved with sustainable initiatives.

American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter: Landscape architects design the built environment of neighborhoods, towns and cities while also protecting and managing the natural environment, from its forests and fields to rivers and coasts. Members of the profession have a special commitment to improving the quality of life through the best design of places for people and other living things.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) is a national trade association representing more than 23,000 merit shop contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers and related firms in 80 chapters across the United States. ABC’s membership represents all specialties within the U.S. construction industry and is comprised primarily of firms that perform work in the industrial and commercial sectors of the industry.

The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE): AEE strives to introduce and evaluate emerging energy technologies and concepts. AEE encourages cooperative education with colleges, universities and high school students and cooperative action with local communities.

The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), Pittsburgh Chapter: CSI's mission is to continuously improve the process of creating and sustaining the built environment. CSI provides workshops and opportunities for continuing sustainable education, and is devoted to disseminating knowledge about green construction,

Building Owners & Managers Association of Pittsburgh, Inc.: An association that represents and promotes the interests of owners and managers of commercial real estate in Western Pennsylvania through effective leadership and advocacy, through the collection, analysis and dissemination of industry related information, and through professional development.

Engineers Society of Western Pennsylvania (ESWP): The ESWP is chartered to advance the professions of engineering, architecture, and applied sciences through technical activities, public service participation and social organizations. It also supports the needs of industries, communities and government in Western Pennsylvania.

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA): IESNA is the recognized technical authority on illumination. Local IESNA members are interested in participating in green building education.

International Facility Management Association, Pittsburgh Chapter: An organization dedicated to advancing the facility management profession, providing membership services and promoting IFMA's visibility in the community.

International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Pennsylvania Chapter: IIDA has over 10,000 international members and is committed to enhancing the quality of life through excellence in interior design and advancing interior design through knowledge. The local chapter has offered a variety of green design courses during the past three years and desires to continue and expand educational green programs.

International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 95, Pittsburgh Chapter: The Local 95 chapter offers professional education courses on a variety of topics, including operating green buildings.

Local Government Academy: LGA promotes excellence in government by providing educational opportunities to assist public officials, employees, and citizens in effectively meeting the needs of their communities. They host a variety of programs focusing on sustainable building and development, such as "Champions of Sustainability" in May 2004.

Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania (MBA): MBA's principal objectives include establishing and maintaining high professional standards among contractors in the construction industry. In Western Pennsylvania MBA has promoted and co-sponsored green building events and meetings. Nationally, MBA has focused on green construction.

National Association of Industrial & Office Properties, Pittsburgh Chapter: An association that provides the commercial and industrial real estate industry that seeks to promote member education, facilitate communication, foster business opportunities and promote effective public policy.

Urban Land Institute Pittsburgh: An organization whose mission is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment.

Pennsylvania Green Building Organizations

Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC): The Philadelphia and Delaware Valley USGBC chapter, whose goal is to become the regional point of contact for users, agencies and companies interested in green building; and to foster cooperation and collaboration among organizations dedicated to environmental responsibility and sustainability.

Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania: The Central Pennsylvania USGBC chapter dedicated to promoting environmentally responsible design, planning, construction, and operation of the built environment through education, outreach and networking.

Pennsylvania Green Growth Partnership (PAGGP): Founded by Green Building Alliance and Philadelphia University, PAGGP creates strategic partnerships between industry, university, economic investment groups and non-profits to solidify and grow the Commonwealth’s position as a national leader in the rapidly emerging green building marketplace.


Green Building Organizations in Other Regions

Austin Energy's Green Building Program: A green building program nationally known for expertise in "green" residential and commercial construction.

Cascadia Region Green Building Council: The Pacific Northwest USGBC chapter that forges alliances with organizations that have a stake in future regional development.

Greater Cleveland Green Building Coalition: A member-based non-profit organization, based in Cleveland, Ohio, whose purpose is to advance green development in Cleveland and Ohio through education, programs and projects.

Northwest Ecobuilding Guild: An association of builders, designers, homeowners, tradespeople, manufacturers, suppliers and others interested in ecologically sustainable building.

City of Portland’s Green Building Program: The Green Building Program offers free technical assistance for development projects in Portland, educational tours and classes, project guidebooks and grants that support innovative green building practices.

Scottsdale Green Building Program: Encourages a whole-systems approach through design and building techniques to minimize environmental impact and reduce the energy consumption of buildings while contributing to the health of its occupants.

Seattle – City Green Building: Working towards making green building standard practice in Seattle through education, technical assistance and incentives.

Southface Energy Institute: An Atlanta-based organization which has earned a national reputation for its education and research in energy, building science, and environmental technologies.

What's Working: A design and consulting firm specializing in energy conservation, environmental construction technology and sustainable community development.

National Green Building Organizations

Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems: A non-profit education, demonstration, and research organization with over 70 years experience in the application of appropriate technologies and sustainable design practices to meet the needs of a broad range of users, from individual home builders to regional planning and natural resource agencies.

New Buildings Institute (NBI): NBI works with national, regional, state and utility groups to promote improved energy performance in commercial new construction.

Rocky Mountain Institute: An entrepreneurial, non-profit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a more secure, prosperous, and life-sustaining world.

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC): A coalition whose purpose is to accelerate the adoption of green building practices, technologies, policies and standards. Creator of the Leadership I Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) green building rating standard.

Governmental Assistance

Smart Communities Network: A U.S. Department of Energy program to advocate sustainable development which provides a framework under which communities can use resources efficiently, create efficient infrastructures, protect and enhance quality of life and create new businesses to strengthen their economies.

Energy Star Program: A program designed to prevent pollution while saving money by making it easy for consumers to choose cost-effective, energy-saving homes and products.

Rebuild America: A network of community-based partnerships across the nation that are committed to saving energy, improving building performance, easing air pollution through reduced energy demand and enhancing the quality of life through energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.