Did you know: In 2007, two of the Fortune 500 companies had the word 'sustainability' on the front page of their website. Today, it appears on ALL of them. The paradigm shift has happened.

This photo is of the Hearst Tower in New York City - a LEED Gold Skyscraper. Would this exist if the USGBC had not been founded back in 1993? What other things might not have happened? This question was asked of 120 Chapter leaders across the Southeast Region at a Leadership Conference last week in Greenville, South Carolina. Here are some of the answers:

Taxpayers would be paying millions more for maintaining Federal and State buildings not designed or built to LEED standards.

We would not have the extensive knowledge base about what makes buildings healthy, safe and efficient: The USGBC is continually building upon this knowledge.

There would be no 'IECC Green Code': Developed in collaboration with ASHRAE, IESNA and the International Code Council, this is being adopted by more states, municipatilities and countries every day.

68+ schools across Virginia would not be certified or registered for LEED for Green Schools. That's a lot of school children who would not be in schools that are third-party verified for health, safety and efficiency. Across the country, 1300+ schools are certified or registered.

Fortune 500 companies like GE, Wells Fargo and Johnson Controls would not be demanding LEED-certified office space or upgrading their existing building stock to LEED's EBOM rating system.

Think about it - sustainability matters. And the USGBC helped make that fact relevant for the most forward thinking organizations in the world. What about you?