The Cascadia Region Green Building Council is one of three original chapters of the U.S. Green Building Council and, as a chapter of the Canada Green Building Council as well, is the only international chapter in North America. Incorporated in Oregon in December 1999, the chapter covers Oregon, Washington,  British Columbia  and Alaska, but also includes members from as far away as Idaho and Montana. Cascadia continues to serve its members by helping the U.S. and Canada Green Building Councils meet their goals in the Pacific Northwest. We strive to become a leading force in green building by forging alliances with organizations that have a stake in the future of this region.

The chapter is named for the Cascadia bioregion, which covers land that drains to the Pacific Ocean through the greatest temperate rain forests on the planet. Members of the Cascadia council are leading the way in creating a roadmap for sustainable building, one that the rest of the nation can use as well. Many key developments have already occurred, including:

• The City of Vancouver adopted a minimum requirement of LEED™ Gold for all new civic buildings greater than 500 square meters.
• The City of Seattle adopted a sustainable building policy and became the first city in the nation to adopt LEED™, the U.S. Green Building Council's green building rating system, as the municipal design standard and performance measurement tool.
• The city of Portland also adopted a green building policy and funded a Green Building Initiative, which is designed to expand market demand and provide technical services and resources for the building industry.

Cascadia Chapter Branches

To overcome potential challenges associated with serving such a broad region, Cascadia Chapter Branches have been established to provide networking and continuing education opportunities for members and industry professionals in their immediate marketplace. Regularly scheduled meetings within each Branch will provide access to green building research and emerging issues that are pertinent to our region and locale. Currently, Branches are active in Portland, Eugene, Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma/Olympia , Thompson/Okanagan, Bellingham, Alaska,  Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia.