WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council today announced Roger Platt as the Senior Vice President, Global Policy and Law, a new position in the organization effective 1 September 2009.
“Roger will be an incredible addition to our team,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC and CEO, GBCI. “He has a unique perspective on how public-private-non-profit alliances are redefining how important work gets done in the US, and increasingly around the world. It takes a rare kind of leadership talent to get diverse people to the table and inspire them to success in hammering out the details that define good policy. Roger is a veteran Washington expert at this, and his contributions to USGBC in this new role will give us new capacity both here and around the world.”
“USGBC is clearly setting the agenda for how the wholesale shift to greener, more efficient buildings and communities will happen,” said Platt. “And they’ve done it by being clear in their vision and relentless in their execution. I’ve been inspired by the partnerships we’ve done together and impressed by the organization’s management from my seat on the USGBC board. To be able to contribute more directly to that success in this new role is very exciting.”
Platt joins USGBC after a very successful 15 years as senior vice president and counsel with the Real Estate Roundtable, which represents the leaders of America’s top public and privately owned real estate entities on public policy issues. There Roger pioneered a series of high-profile collaborations between the Roundtable and environmental and non-profit organizations to advance responsible public policy. These include working with the Clinton Climate Initiative’s global program on large energy retrofits; Environmental Defense Fund and the Nature Conservancy on multi-species land use planning; the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Smart Growth America on smarter growth, including the recycling of Brownfield’s properties; the Environmental Protection Agency on the launch of the Energy Star Building Label program; the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on tax incentives for ultra-efficient commercial buildings; and most recently with NRDC and USGBC on how greener, more efficient buildings can be part of the solution to energy and climate protection challenges.
Before joining the Real Estate Roundtable, he was a consultant to President Clinton’s then newly formed Corporation for National and Community Service. Prior to that he worked as a senior associate practicing in the area of urban land use and real estate development and transactions at a San Francisco-based law firm. Roger received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
“Roger brings new expertise to our exceptional senior management team that includes Chris Smith, Rebecca Flora, Scot Horst, Mahesh Ramanujam and Peter Templeton at GBCI,” said Fedrizzi. “Leading this talented team is an honor, and only reinforces my optimism that we will be incredibly successful in transforming our built environment to one that is more sustainable, profitable and healthier for our planet and our children.”
ABOUT USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 20,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 131,000 LEED Accredited Professionals, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to soar to $60 billion by 2010. The USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.
Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39 percent of CO2 emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption, 13 percent water consumption and 15 percent of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.
