LONDON—As the green building movement continues to pick up steam, not just in the U.S. but around the world, numerous rating systems have been created to establish some type of standard so everyone involved in the process understands how products, programs and services stack up when it comes to environmental friendliness and sustainability.

Though these rating tools are a key component in the market for green building around the world, and while they all seek the same end result, they have been developed by different groups of people and organizations. As such, there has been a growing demand for consistency and comparability between the tools, particularly with regard to the way they account for carbon emissions.

To help establish this needed consistency, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BREEAM, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Green Star and the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC), was signed here during EcoBuild ’09.

Paul King, CEO of UKGBC and chairman of the World Green Building Council International Policy Task Force, pointed out the importance of having the MOU by noting on a global scale, “The way in which we construct and operate buildings accounts for almost half of all CO2 emissions contributing to climate change.”

The MOU’s key objective is “to map and develop common metrics to measure emissions of CO2 equivalents from new homes and buildings.” A working group of representatives from each of the rating systems will develop the metrics and seek to align the tools and provide consistency in measurement and reporting.

In terms of the organizations involved in this, USGBC developed and manages the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, Green Star is developed and administered by the Green Building Council Australia (GBCA), and BREEAM is owned by research and education charity the BRE Trust and operated by BRE Global.

Carol Atkinson, CEO of BRE Global, called the MOU “a terrific opportunity for the major international system providers to move toward common carbon metrics.”

Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC’s president, CEO and founding chairman, said, “The MOU sets the stage for true progress by focusing on performance that is measurable and verifiable. As we work to alleviate the role buildings play in climate change—nearly 39% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.—it’s vital that we are able to measure carbon emissions in a consistent, reliable way.”

To learn about the MOU or the USGBC and its LEED rating system, call 800.795.1747.