Clients and Testimonials

“Martha Graham, the great dancer and choreographer, once described the creative process as ‘blessed unrest.’ The same could be said about David Gottfried. Despite his good fortune in the conventional world of real estate development, he was blessed with unrest, his unceasing curiosity and concern. Anyone who knows or has met David can feel the energy. It is a toe-tapping, eye-flashing kinetic that takes on any challenge. What he took on was the building and construction industry and its relationship to living systems.”

“I have said that if this movement towards a green and just world is to succeed, it will be because we will build a more interesting sandbox for everyone to play in. That is what David did: He founded and helped build the most important green trade organization in the world. There is virtually no second place. Thousands of people and companies are playing inside it, creating the best standards in the world. Nothing compares with the growth, magnitude, and import of the U.S. Green Building Council. No organization has had a bigger impact on the environment than this one in terms of energy and materials saved, toxins eliminated, greenhouse gases avoided, and human health enhanced. And it is just beginning.”

--- Paul Hawken, from the foreword in David's Gottfried's memoir, Greed to Green:

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“I have to tell you when you talk about the power of one and the ability to transform lives, what’s really amazing is that we have these people in our midst’s… I’m not going to set up David Gottfried anymore, except to say that a long time ago one guy had an idea and he wanted to take his passion and combine it with his ability to make change, and ultimately that idea has flourished into the U.S. Green Building Council and all of our collective energies.”

-- Rick Fedrizzi, Founding Chairman, CEO & President; U.S. Green Building Council

"David Gottfried is the father of the Green Movement. He started the U.S. Green Building Council in the U.S. and then took it around the world. He is a wonderful and inspiring spokesperson for the environmental movement."

-- Art Gensler, Chairman, Gensler

"David Gottfried is indeed, a pioneer, having led the way into the uncharted territory of environmentally responsible construction ...His legacy is here to stay..."

-- Ray C. Anderson; Founder & Chair; Interface, Inc.

“I had the pleasure of speaking on a three-person panel with David
Gottfried in late July 2008. It was one of the most memorable presentations I've ever experienced. As I looked out into the audience I saw that every person - without exception - was mesmerized. Gottfried spoke from his heart, and the audience's heart was with him. He was engaging, powerful and made the audience think. He brought introspection to all who heard him. Quite simply, I was blown away.”

--Donald S. Simon, Partner; Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean, LLP

"David Gottfried's work has led to the beginning of the transformation of the most important sector in the nation's energy economy..."

-- Gil Masters, Emeritus Professor; Stanford University

"David Gottfried is an extraordinary person, whose passionate idealism is infectious. Even more surprising is David's ability to create a vehicle to realize his ideals and to demonstrate a better reality within our current financial and social structure. He is one of the few people I know who talks about a better world, gets us to see it, and then helps all of us to realize it."

-- Peter Ellis, AIA, RIBA, Design Partner; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

"David Gottfried is a real estate developer, entrepreneur, and sustainability guru. He provides a great speech. David gave one of the most moving and inspirational talks to the Leadership Summit on Sustainable Design in San Francisco and he was a featured speaker with Dan Pink not so very long ago in Toronto. I think you will enjoy him: good sense of humor, relaxed, articulate, passionate, youthful. He has a fresh message."

-- James P. Cramer, Chairman & Principal, The Greenway Group

"I attended your presentation last night. It was a true pleasure to be in the presence of change! As a member of the new guard, I can fully appreciate what you have accomplished and have every intention of continuing to make a difference. As the years progress, green has gone from a grass roots movement to mainstream, and I thank you for this and for coming to Dubai to share your wisdom."

-- Gaired Fressadi, Assistant Development Manager, Nakheel PJSC

"It was truly enlightening to hear your thoughts on the real green life this
evening at Pacific Controls. As Paul Haukins said, you are truly blessed
with 'blessed unrest'. I feel your messages should be spread across the
people in this part of the world."

--Reshma, Matrix Dubai

"As a member of the Conference Advisory Committee for Lightfair International 2008, I attended the keynote luncheon to hear the speaker, David Gottfried, founder of the USGBC. As a design professional heavily involved in building industry who is also very involved in protecting the environment, I was unexpectedly but very pleasantly surprised by the quality and content of David's speech. He was passionate, funny, and an articulate speaker. Had I not already been a staunch advocate, I might even add "inspirational" to that list of attributes."

--Monte Riggs AIA IESNA, Bos Lighting Design

"Thank you very much for speaking to our group of architects, builders,
and engineers last week. Your attendance at our event brought the
evening to a whole new level. Your vast experience, life
accomplishments, and dynamic delivery, had the audience engaged
throughout the night. I have since received many calls and e-mails
commenting on your inspirational message, and the impact of your speech.
We will definitely be calling you for future events."

-- Chris Avant, President, Canyon Construction (Splinter Group)

"We were privileged to have David Gottfried as our inaugural speaker at our Green Dinner Series. There was great excitement about his talk because he is so well known in the green community. Expectations were high.

His talk came at the end of a long evening of food and wine. The energy in the room at that point was palpably low. From the moment he stepped to podium, David electrified the audience. He was clear about the bleak reality of our environmental situation, but somehow David made his talk very upbeat and optimistic. We were taken through a range of emotions and he left us more informed, more motivated to make changes in our lives and somehow more positive about the future. I have witnessed many talks about green issues, but David is by far the best speaker I have heard. We are very happy to have had David Gottfried as our speaker".

Daryl Ross

Owner Adagia Restaurant and the Bancroft Hotel

“I recently organized an event at the California Academy of Sciences for middle school and high school teachers that brought together experts in the field of energy to inspire and inform the people who are inspiring and informing our youth everyday. David Gottfried was our final speaker for the day. He was thought-provoking, articulate, and put energy issues at the center of our everyday lives. He made sustainable living seem both imperative and attractive. His finishing slide said, “Are you planting seeds for regeneration?” and as I looked around the room at over 100 teachers who were enthralled and motivated by his talk, I felt certain that the teachers would take David Gottfried’s energy and enthusiasm and would plant seeds of regeneration with thousands of students”.

Jill Bible , Curriculum Developer, Institute on Science and Sustainability

California Academy of Sciences