There are many ways to build energy-efficient structures

To the editor:
We want to correct a misperception created in your recent articles (“Green projects flourish in Promenade District,” and “LEED not the only worthy green building standard,” July 13), which suggested that the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) was founded as a competitor to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). That is not the case. NESEA is a 10-state organization that has been working in the areas of energy-efficient building and renewable energy for more than 35 years. We have many of the same members as USGBC.
One difference between our organizations is that USGBC offers a proprietary solution for rating buildings while NESEA does not promote any product, service or set of standards. USGBC’s voluntary Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system is one of numerous good tools available to help building-industry professionals improve the way buildings are designed and built. We believe that the 30 or so rating systems for energy-efficient and environmentally friendly buildings each have unique strengths and appropriate applications, and that competition among them is healthy.
Our goal is to enable cross-disciplinary collaboration among professionals working to create a sustainable future. We are excited that so many people are getting interested in the solutions that NESEA has been promoting since our inception. We welcome anyone interested to join our educational meetings here in Rhode Island on the first Tuesday of every month. More information can be found at http://neseari.ning.com.
John Jacobson, Robert Leaver,
Jo Lee, Fred Unger
Founders, NESEA Rhode Island