Washington, D.C. – January 31, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — Yesterday, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) named Dr. Matthew Trowbridge, Assistant Professor, University of Virginia School of Medicine, as its 2013-2014 Mark Ginsberg Sustainability Fellow. Along with a generous grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the fellowship will support Dr. Trowbridge’s work to help develop health metrics for green building, among other key research initiatives.
The Mark Ginsberg Sustainability Fellowship honors Mark Ginsberg, whose support of LEED from his chair at the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in its earliest days, has been instrumental to the market transformation that has been the core mission of USGBC.
“The U.S. Green Building Council and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have both demonstrated extraordinary leadership in helping to meld the complementary fields of green building and human health,” Trowbridge said. “Receiving this fellowship is a tremendous honor, and I look forward to utilizing these resources to further advance our understanding of how sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, communities and cities can lead to healthier, more productive lives for everyone who shares our planet.”
“Matt’s work in the field of human health and the built environment is crucial to our goal of realizing a future in which all people can enjoy the benefits of buildings that enhance their health and comfort, not compromise it,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO, & Founding Chair, USGBC. “I applaud his dedication to this important work and congratulate him on a remarkable achievement.”
“The green building movement is, at its core, a people movement,” Ginsberg said. “The buildings in which we live and interact are critical determinants of our ability to lead healthy and productive lives, and Matt’s pioneering research into the field will help lay the foundations for green buildings and communities that extend and enrich human lives while protecting our most precious resource: the earth we all call home.”
“With his research, Matt is helping to map the relationship between public health and the infrastructure in and through which the field is practiced,” said Jane Lowe, Senior Adviser for Program Development, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is proud to partner with him and the U.S. Green Building Council to enhance our ability to provide healthy and sustainable schools, workplaces, homes and neighborhoods for all.”
The announcement of the award, which mirrors the contributions, spirit and integrity of Ginsberg, was made at the close of USGBC’s Summit on Green Building and Human Health, which took place in Washington, D.C., Jan. 29-30. More than 100 individuals representing a wide range of stakeholders on green building and its advancement of human health convened to determine ways to more purposefully advance an agenda that:
• Builds and reinforces programs in USGBC and across the industry that advance green building and human health;
• Builds the knowledge base on the subject by identifying what currently exists and what gaps need to be filled; and
• Supports the green building movement so that it promotes the direct linkages between green building and human health.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, a nationwide network of chapters and affiliates, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
