The International Green Construction Code (IGCC) could begin making a significant impact on local jurisdictions' building codes next year, Brendan Owens, the United States Green Building Council's (USGBC) vice president for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design technical development, told Green Building Insider in a recent interview. During the discussion, Owens also revealed the strategy for getting the IGCC adopted both inside and outside of the U.S. and addressed the controversy over USGBC's forest certification policy.

Also in this edition of GBI, the International Facility Management Association has teamed up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, Bryan Jackson examines the "growing green bubble," there are several new developments to report regarding efforts to achieve LEED certification, the new Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act contains some green building features, a new update of the BSD SpecLink automated specification writing software could foster greener buildings, and a high school in northern Virginia has kicked off its "Going Green" campaign.