The EDGE green building certification has started in Costa Rica with cooperation between the IFC and the Green Building Council of Costa Rica to promote eco-friendly construction.

The IFC is a branch of the World Bank that promotes ecologically minded architecture works with many countries worldwide to promote ecologically friendly and sustainable construction, and Costa Rica represents the first country in Latin America to institute the EDGE certification system. The Green Building Council of Costa Rica (GBC-CR) along with IFC released news of the incorporation of the building certification system at the International Green Building Congress: “Habitat and Sustainable Cities.”

With buildings accounting for nearly 19 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, a certification process that helps to decrease emissions through competent design protocols is a necessary deterrent to the ever pressing issue of global warming. The EDGE certification system is found in over 100 countries in the world, and includes a website where you can design ecologically efficient floor plans for buildings. EDGE stands for Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency, and provides resource efficient building growth with proof of the business case for building green.

Green construction certication is now available to all new projects in Costa Rica, and can easily be adopted among a wide range of properties in order to promote a functioning sustainable design that decreases the overall cost of utilities for a business. The first EDGE certification in Costa Rica has already been awarded to Hoteles City Express.

The International Finance Corporation is the largest global development institution with a focus on private businesses, and it has access to billions of dollars in funding as a branch of the World Bank. In 2014, IFC provided $22 billion in funding to improve lives in developing countries, and continues to work with private enterprises all over the planet.