The Green Buildings Act and Green Buildings Advisory Committee (GBAC)

About the Rhode Island Green Buildings Act

On November 9, 2009, the Green Buildings Act (RIGL §37-24) was signed into law and was further updated on June 27, 2022. The Act requires that all new construction and renovation projects over 10,000 gross square feet, constructed by a public agency be designed and constructed to a LEED Certified or an equivalent high performance green building standard.

A public agency includes all State departments, municipalities, public institutions of education, and any subdivisions of these agencies.

Have questions or need assistance navigating the Green Buildings Act? Please contact us at DOA.RIGBAC@doa.ri.gov.

About the Rhode Island Green Buildings Advisory Committee

The Rhode Island Green Buildings Advisory Committee (GBAC) was formed in 2010 to help implement the Green Buildings Act. The Committee, which consists of volunteers from State agencies and the general public, works with the Department of Administration and the Rhode Island Building Code Commission to help ensure compliance with the law and to provide education on green building practices for Rhode Islanders.

Green Buildings Advisory Committee Members

Christopher Armstrong – Representing: At-Large
Justine Brown – Representing: Rhode Island Department of Administration, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance
Rachel Calabro – Representing: Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
Jim Cambio – Representing: Rhode Island Office of the Building Code Commissioner
Tim Carroll – Representing: Rhode Island Department of Transportation
Patrick Crowley – Representing: Labor
Dr. Joseph da Silva – Representing: Rhode Island Department of Education, School Building Authority
William Fazioli – Representing: Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
Kenneth Filarski – Representing: Architecture
Vacant – Representing: Energy
Stephen Turner – Representing: Engineering
John Willumsen – Representing: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
Mark Winslow – Representing: General Construction Contracting

Public Meetings

All GBAC meetings are open to the public. Below is a list of scheduled meetings. Click on the meeting date to access meeting materials. For inquiries about previous meetings, please email DOA.RIGBAC@doa.ri.gov.

2025 Meetings

January 21, 2025

USGBC January Market Brief PDF file, less than 1

GBA Study PDF file, less than 1

GBAC 2021 Annual Report PDF file, about 3

All meetings are scheduled to begin at 9:00 am.

Meeting dates, times, and locations are subject to change. All meetings will be officially noticed via the Secretary of State’s website in compliance with Open Meetings Act -- past meeting minutes can also be found here.

Public Comments

Submit a Public Comment to Rhode Island’s Green Buildings Advisory Committee (GBAC)

There are multiple ways you can submit a public comment to the Committee. No matter which method you use, your comment(s) will be shared with the Committee during the next public meeting and will become part of the publicly available meeting minutes.

Submit a Comment Online

Email the GBAC:

Email your public comment to DOA.RIGBAC@doa.ri.gov. Please be sure to include your full name, who you represent (it may be yourself or your organization), your contact information, and your public comment in the body of your email.

Attend a Meeting:

All GBAC meetings are open to the public and offer time for public comment. Click here to access the Secretary of State’s website with more information about upcoming GBAC meetings.

Resources

Forms

RIGBAC Preconstruction Certification
RIGBAC Post Construction Certification
Appeal Application
Reporting Form
LEED v4.1 Building Design and Construction Checklist
LEED v4 for Neighborhood Development Checklist
SITES v2 Checklist

Helpful Information