Rick Fedrizzi | |
|---|---|
 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in 2009 at the Phoenix Convention Center | |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Notable work | Greenthink: How Profit Can Save the Planet |
| Spouse | Cathy Fedrizzi |
| Parent(s) | Arigo Fedrizzi, Dorothy Fedrizzi |
Rick Fedrizzi is the founding chair and former CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). During his tenure at USGBC, he oversaw the creation of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system. [1]
Fedrizzi grew up in Solvay, New York, a suburb of Syracuse, with his parents, Arigo and Dorothy Fedrizzi. [2] His first job was at 14 delivering papers. He continued working through his teenage years scooping ice cream and working in a meat department, and then as an undergrad at UPS and running a liquor store. [3] Fedrizzi graduated from LeMoyne College in 1976 with a degree in accounting. [4] He also holds an MBA from Syracuse University. [5]
Fedrizzi started out at Carrier Corp., a provider of HVAC, refrigeration, fire and security equipment, in 1976 and worked there for 25 years. During his last few years at Carrier, he became the Director of Communications and Environmental Affairs. [6] [7] From 1992 to 1995, Carrier saw revenues grow $700 million. [8] He left Carrier in 2001. [7]
During his time at Carrier, he co-founded the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) along with David Gottfried and Mike Italiano in April 1993. At the American Institute of Architects (AIA), they assembled 60 firms and several non-profits to discuss the need to commit to sustainable building practices, [9] which led to the creation of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2000. [10] Fedrizzi served as the volunteer founding chair until 2004 when he became its CEO. [11]
In November 2016, Fedrizzi stepped down as USGBC's CEO. [12]
From USGBC, Fedrizzi immediately moved on to become chairman and CEO of the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The IWBI seeks to lead the global movement to transform buildings, communities and organizations with a people and well-being first approach. With the WELL Building Standard (WELL), IWBI creates a roadmap for creating and certifying spaces that advance human health and well-being. Fedrizzi has said, "Health and sustainability are synonymous." It is not just about saving the planet, but saving the people. [13]
Since Fedrizzi joined IWBI in 2016, their WELL Building Standard has grown to become the de facto global real estate leadership standard focused exclusively on the health and well-being of the people who live, work, play and learn in buildings and communities worldwide. [14]
When Leonardo DiCaprio released his documentary, The 11th Hour, in 2007 about the grave state of the global warming crisis, Fedrizzi was chosen to be interviewed as an expert, along with other leading politicians, scientists and environmental activists. [15]
In 2015, Fedrizzi published the book, Greenthink: How Profit Can Save the Planet. In the book, he envisions how environmentalists and industry don't have to compete, but can unite to create a sustainable future and fight climate change. He points out how sustainability can create economic growth by eliminating waste and doing things more efficiently which ultimately save money. In his opinion, sustainability also drives innovation, which leads to new, more profitable product. [15] In the foreword by Leonardo DiCaprio, DiCaprio states, "green building is arguably the world's largest and most successful environmental movement, and it's no exaggeration to say that Rick's work has been revolutionary. The strategy he has championed has the potential to change the world." [16]
Fedrizzi also serves on several boards and advisory councils, including the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Bank of America’s National Community Advisory Council, Clinton Global Initiative’s Scaling Sustainable Buildings Action Network, Delos’ Advisory Board, Watsco, Energy Focus, VIEW, and Global Green. [17]
Fedrizzi is married to Cathy, who is an educator. [18]
Green building refers to both a structure and the application of processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from planning to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition. This requires close cooperation of the contractor, the architects, the engineers, and the client at all project stages. The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building also refers to saving resources to the maximum extent, including energy saving, land saving, water saving, material saving, etc., during the whole life cycle of the building, protecting the environment and reducing pollution, providing people with healthy, comfortable and efficient use of space, and being in harmony with nature. Buildings that live in harmony; green building technology focuses on low consumption, high efficiency, economy, environmental protection, integration and optimization.’
Carrier Global Corporation is an American multinational heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, and fire and security equipment corporation based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Carrier was founded in 1915 as an independent company manufacturing and distributing HVAC systems, and has since expanded to include manufacturing commercial refrigeration and food service equipment, and fire and security technologies.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings, homes, and neighborhoods, which aims to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)3, membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating systems and its annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. USGBC was one of eight national councils that helped found the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC).
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Global Green is the English-American affiliate of Green Cross International, an international non-governmental organization founded by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 to "foster a global value shift toward a sustainable and secure future." Green Cross International operates in over 30 countries and enjoys consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Global Green USA is on a 10 year mission to "lead a global response to keep us within planetary boundaries" and to "bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace". GCI is an admitted observer organization with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. It also cooperates directly with the UNEP/OCHA Environmental Emergencies Section, UN-HABITAT and other international organizations. Celebrity advocates include Leonardo DiCaprio, Yoko Ono and Pat Mitchell, who serves as an Honorary Board Member.
Robert "Rob" Watson, is a market transformation expert, international leader in the green building movement and CEO and chief scientist of The ECON Group. He founded the LEED Green Building Rating System of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993 and was its founding chairman until 2006.
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This article includes information about environmental groups and resourcesthat serve K–12 schools in the United States and internationally. The entries in this article are for broad-scope organizations that serve at least one state or similar regions.
Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) is an American organization that provides third-party credentialing and verification for several rating systems relating to the built environment. It was established as the Green Building Certification Institute in January 2008 with the support of the U.S. Green Building Council to provide independent oversight of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project certification and professional credentialing processes. The organization's current name was adopted on 16 April 2015 after the organization starts to provide third-party certification for the International WELL Building Institute's evidence-based building standard WELL Building Standard on 4 April 2014, the Perfect Power Institute's PEER standard, and the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark.
This article provides examples of green building programs in the United States. These programs span the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and all have the goal of increasing energy efficiency and the sustainability of the built environment.
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LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND), where "LEED" stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a United States-based rating system that integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into a national system for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development's location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development.
Gregory H. Kats is an American businessman, environmentalist, and thought leader in the green economy sector. He is founder and CEO of the Smart Surfaces Coalition, a non-profit organization consisting of 40+ national and international partner groups working to ensure the rapid, cost-effective adoption of reflective, porous, and green urban surface infrastructure, or "smart surfaces", in cities. Previously, Kats served as a Managing Director at Good Energies,[2] a multi-billion dollar global clean energy investor, and Director of Financing for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).[3]
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Bob (Robert) F. Fox, Jr. is an American architect.
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