A financial and professional services firm has bought ECD Energy and Environment Canadaâ??the developer of the 'Go Green' rating system for existing buildings.

The deal grants real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle use of ECD's tools for assessing sustainability profiles and benchmarking across building portfolios. However, under the terms of the acquisition, the 'Go Green' standards will continue to be operated by Builders Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Canada.

Adopted by BOMA in 2004, Go Green got its start as Green Globes, an assessment and rating system for existing and occupied buildings. (Indeed, the program is still known as Green Globes in the United States, where it is operated by the Green Building Initiative [GBI].) In Canada, the system is used by large developers and property management companiesâ??including the Canadian federal government, which has adopted Go Green Plus for its entire real estate portfolio.

For more information on the Go Green system, visit www.bomagogreen.com