Chris Pyke, Vice President of Research, U.S. Green Building Council, presents new ideas for how we can use information to drive the next generation of green building market transformation.

There is more than 1.8 billion square feet of commercial property certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

And for many, obtaining the shining LEED plaque that attests to green building achievement is a major goal. While that's a good start, efforts shouldn't stop there. To transform the built environment in a generation in order to avoid catastrophic damage from climate change lots more needs to happen, and quickly.

In this One Great Idea from VERGE DC, Dr. Pyke illustrates why it's necessary to "unpack the plaque" -- to tap into the wellspring of data that's available from buildings themselves about how they are performing. Building owners can employ technology that provides access to the streams of data available from entire portfolios of buildings and from the many systems beyond their walls, such as energy grid, transport networks and more. The information from those buildings and systems provides the context for the continuous improvement needed to drive change on a broad scale.