Hello,

Today SFI delivered the petition with your comments and signatures to Mr. Rick Fedrizzi at the U.S. Green Building Council. We want to thank you for taking the time to sign your name and leave thoughtful comments that we are hopeful will change the current LEED process, and we wanted to keep you informed about the latest progress. Upon delivery, nearly 6,000 of you signed your name in support of opening the LEED wood credit to all credible forest certification programs. We are elated by the broad support we've received. The USGBC cannot ignore your commitment and passion to expand LEED. You clearly care deeply about responsible forest management, green building and the communities that depend on these forests.

It has been a long road through the USGBC review process, and in the end, we hope the organization truly looks at what makes sense and what other green building codes and standards across the globe already know—inclusivity is the answer. Multiple forest certification programs push one other to do better, and they serve different needs. LEED should be giving a point for using wood products—wood has superior environmental attributes compared to other building materials. Another point should be given for wood products certified to any credible third-party certification program.

As we told the USGBC—it's time to set aside the politics and instead focus on the facts and create a program that recognizes the value that all credible forest certification programs bring. Considering the staggering number of responses in the petition, along with broad support from respected forestry experts, conservation groups and government officials, our common vision should be impossible to ignore.

For the sake of our forests, our communities, the tens of thousands of family foresters who make their livelihoods from forestry and the future of green building across North America and globally, it is time for USGBC to do the right thing and recognize all credible forest certification standards: SFI, ATFS, CSA, FSC and PEFC.

Now is not the time to let up. Show support for increased certification by asking friends and family to sign the petition if they haven't done so already, and watch our short green building video. If you're a voting member of USGBC, vote against the current benchmarks and ask the organization to credit all credible forest certification standards. Do what's best for our forests here in North America and globally.

Thank you for your ongoing support of this important initiative!

Sincerely,

Kathy Abusow
President & CEO
Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc.