There are a couple of significant recent developments to report in the crusade to promote sustainable buildings outside of the United States. On one front, an official with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Overseas Building Operations in mid-June outlined plans for green construction of diplomatic facilities abroad. Additionally, this edition of Green Building Insider covers the debut of GreenGuard Environmental Institute's operation in Beijing, China, an effort that serves the huge Asia-Pacific market with opportunities to certify products for indoor environmental qualities.   

Also in this issue, several advances have emerged in fostering green buildings through new software and building information modeling, there are a slew of new opportunities for saving energy in buildings, green building proposals in five more states are profiled, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has adopted five resolutions to promote green buildings, and several new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design developments, including plenty of certifications, have taken place.  

The bureau will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certification for construction projects beginning this year. An OBO spokesperson provides Green Building Insider with additional information about the bureau's green building plan.