OVERVIEW
The LEED Rating Systems make up a voluntary program meant to objectively measure how sustainable a building is in several key areas:
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impact on site and location
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water efficiency
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energy efficiency
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material selection
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indoor environmental quality
The system also encourages innovation.
The LEED standards are maintained by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit, non-governmental, membership-based organization. While participation in LEED is voluntary, the program owes some of its growth to municipal and state ordinances that have mandated it for public buildings and have offered incentives for private buildings.
IN-DEPTH
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International Green Construction Code Now Meshes with LEED
News Analysis
IgCC 2018 crafters hope to dispel confusion and increase uptake with rating system harmonization.
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Health Product Declaration Collaborative Teams Up with USGBC
News Brief
A strategic partnership between HPDC and the U.S. Green Building Council aims to scale material transparency.
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The Sustainable Spec Language You Should Be Using
Blog Post
Selecting the greenest products doesn’t do any good unless strong specifications support your choices. Here’s some language you can use.
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A Net-Zero Certification from USGBC
News Brief
To earn USGBC’s Net Zero designation, buildings must be LEED certified and can choose among net-zero energy, water, waste, or carbon.
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Materials Transparency & LEED
Webcast
This deep dive into the three Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (BPDO) credits in LEED v4 provides the rationale for why product choices are so important, the details on how to achieve points within the three credits, and which options you shouldn't bother pursuing.
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USGBC Moves to Improve LEED v4
News Analysis
LEED v4.1, a new iteration of the green building rating system will be piloted in 2018 with the goal of smoothing over rough spots.
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An Embarrassment of Riches: Products and Materials at Greenbuild 2017
Blog Post
A new focus on embodied carbon and LEED v4 are driving designers to dive deep into what we choose for our buildings
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California Law Uses Environmental Product Declarations to Drive Low-Carbon Procurement
News Analysis
Buy Clean California is the first law in the nation to address embodied carbon in construction materials.
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How Six Affordable Housing Projects Got to Green
Feature Short
Stories of designers and developers who overcame the challenges of building affordable housing that is also green, sustainable, and healthy.
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Washington, D.C. First to Achieve LEED at Citywide Scale
News Analysis
The city is first to earn a Platinum LEED for Cities certification, leveraging information technology to track progress toward a range of sustainability goals.
