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LEEDing the Way to a Greener Tomorrow
Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) is an established “green”
certification program designed to encourage a more eco-friendly
building industry. More than the extension of a trendy buzzword,
LEED has successfully implemented its certification throughout the
world, with LEED certified buildings already existing in over 20
countries. Since over 10 billion square feet of new and renovated
building occurs in the United States
every year, the LEED program can contribute significant
reductions of greenhouse emissions.
Established by the
United
States Green Building Council, a non-profit organization
comprised of over 10,000 building professionals, the LEED
certification program is an attempt to encourage the design of LEED
certified buildings, which reduce waste, increase efficiency,
develop sustainability, and decrease energy consumption.
LEED buildings
profit from a wide-array of benefits, including reduced operating
costs, less resource waste, and a healthier environment for the
occupants. For employers, healthier buildings help employee
productivity by reducing worker fatigue and illness.
Other cost savings
include:
·
30% reduction
in energy expenses
·
35% carbon
emissions savings
·
30-50%
reduction in water usage
·
50-90%
decrease in waste expenditure
Initial building
costs of a LEED project are the same or slightly higher than
expected by a “normal” project. However, these costs are recovered
over time through lower operating costs.
In order to achieve
LEED certification, buildings must include “green,” renewable
building materials. These materials include recyclables, natural
products such as wood and durable materials with long life
expectancies such as concrete. Inside the buildings, air quality
must meet high standards, with low toxic emissions and minimal
chemical emissions. As with all “green” components, air
conditioning and heating units within the buildings must require
minimal levels of maintenance while exhibiting high efficiency
ratings.
Vehicle emissions
often receive the greatest media attention, but building emissions
account for high levels of greenhouse gases. Because we rarely
observe energy going into or out of our houses or places of work,
many assume these structures are relatively clean – such is not the
case. Think of the air-conditioning you run in the summer, your
lights, your stove, the wood you burn during the winter, or the
computers in that 40 story office building; all of these are
responsible for emissions. Reduced energy consumption by LEED
buildings means fewer emissions.
Achieving LEED
certification is not an easy process. Architects, contractors,
builders, and all others involved in a LEED building project must
adhere to strict guidelines. The LEED rating system certifies
buildings on a four-level scale - Certified, Silver, Gold, and
Platinum. This certification is determined by a building’s
performance in five key areas:
·
Sustainable
Site Development
·
Water Savings
·
Energy
Efficiency
·
Materials
Selection
·
Indoor
Environmental Quality
Each of these areas
is allotted a certain number of points, which, when tallied with all
component points, determines a building’s level of certification.
The core goal of
USGBC is “to transform the way buildings and
communities are designed, built, and operated, enabling an
environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous
environment that improves the quality of life.” The USGBC also aims
to increase individual awareness about “green” building
alternatives.
LEED certification
is not just for new buildings – buildings at any stage of
construction or remodeling are eligible. Training and certification
are available to anyone wishing to go green with their building. If
interested, check with your local USGBC chapter for the next
available workshop or conference. While LEED certification is
reserved for larger buildings, any structure, including your own
house, can be “green” friendly.
For more information
about LEED certification or “green” building, visit the USGBC
website at www.usgbc.org.
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