WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council has doubled the amount of money it will dedicate toward research at a time when interest in green building is escalating and its network of LEED for Homes Providers has multiplied.

The non-profit plans to spend another $1 million in research grants, half of which will be earmarked for K-12 school facility research with a focus on occupant impacts. The group had already pledged $1 million for its Green Building Research Fund.

"Our pledge to invest in research is a reflection of USGBC's commitment to its vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation," said USGBC CEO and President Rick Fedrizzi, President. "The industry needs to take giant steps forward in design, construction, renovation and operation practices to realize large scale improvements to health and environmental conditions in this timeframe."

Already the movement is picking up steam in the residential sector. The USGBC announced this week that its network of LEED for Homes Providers has doubled, and since December, 540 homes have been certified. Nearly 13,000 additional homes have registered under the LEED program or are under development.