What is LEED? Building it better

What is LEED?
"LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally-recognized green building certification system. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in March 2000, LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.  LEED promotes sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.
    Participation in LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance. There are both environmental and financial benefits to earning LEED certification.
LEED certified buildings are designed to:

• Lower operating costs and increase asset value
• Reduce waste sent to landfills
• Conserve energy and water
• Be healthier and safer for occupants
• Reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions
• Qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances and other incentives in hundreds of cities" (usgbc.org)

 LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas:
Sustainable Sites, Local Linkages and Connections, Regional Priority, Energy and Water Efficiency, Materials and Resources, Indoor Air Quality and much more.  It would take volumes to adequately explain the LEED process and it is fairly complex.  To keep it short, owners and designers who decide to build LEED rely heavily on teams to plan, design, build and maintain projects.  We know that a wholistic approach has to be taken from the beginning of any project to bring in all of the different aspects required to build an energy efficient and healthy building.  Typically each project will have on the team at least one LEED accredited professional who is trained in the system and helps to guide the way through the process.  Buildings are certified at different levels from Silver to Platinum (the highest) to demonstrate their levels of environmental building they have attained.
   LEED is the world standard in Green Building and Design and there are currently projects going on in 41 countries.  Architects, designers, construction and facility managers, lenders, local, state and federal governments  use LEED to assist in building better. 
    There are thousands of products on the market that contribute to LEED credits.  Some of them are: products manufactured within 500 miles of the project site, materials that are low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), materials that are made from recycled materials such as recycled plastic furniture from GreenPark Store, products that do not go into the landfill like Loll furniture, wood from sustainably harvested trees like FSC furniture , bicycle parking racks,  recycling centers to name just a few.
   To summarize, LEED has been around since 2000 and is has been proven to have a positive impact on the environment and health of building occupants.  It makes good business sense and is currently the most effective  and widely used green building set of standards in the world.
So the next time you are thinking about building, build it better, and build it LEED.
Sarah Sumner, LEED AP, Interior Design and Construction