Advice for responding to the LEED haters

By Ryan Sparks

If you follow anything in green building, you have heard that Henry Gifford has filed a class action lawsuit against the USGBC and its founders on behalf of "consumers, taxpayers, building design and construction professionals." In reviewing the comments and responses to these postings/articles, it is apparent that there are a significant number angry building professionals that are supporting this legal action.

Now, I am not a lawyer, but as a USGBC supporter, I have the following recommendations for the USGBC to help reduce the number of LEED-haters out there:

1. Don’t charge for promotional materials. $0.75 to obtain a brochure to learn more about more about the core values and purpose of USGBC? And if you are going to charge for a brochure, make the total cost clear and don’t make me wait till I checkout to find the full amount (including shipping and taxes) is $4.98. The fact that the USGBC does not make the brochure easy to find in a downloadable format does not only portray a priority of profit over promotion, it is also not green.

2. Provide a Transparent Financial Information: The About USGBC section of the USGBC provides a link to a 2008 Annual Report, that shows the net assets, end of 2007, but nothing for the following fiscal years.Providing a simple statement of financial activities will go far to reinforce the commitments as a non-profit organization.

3. Acknowledge the lawsuit and reinforce that LEED is consensus driven: Information on the class action lawsuit can be found almost anywhere except on the USGBC website. In fact, as of Oct 26, 2010, the “In the News & Press Releases” section is noticeably empty. Why not post a simple statement that reinforces the fact that the LEED rating systems was created from “consensus-based decision-making from across an extremely diverse membership” and that the USGBC will review the claims in the same manner? There is no doubt that the lawsuit is attracting a lot of traffic to its website, use this as an opportunity to remind the public that LEED is build based on the experience and wisdom of builders and not a single entity.

These are comments from some casual observations. Please share your thoughts.

Going Green Is Not An Option

By: Jeff Nippes

Green Building is no longer optional for one Canadian province, it’s the law. Starting Dec. 1, energy efficient furnaces, low-flush toilets and other environmentally friendly fixtures will be required by law for all new homes built in Manitoba.

The provincial government has changed the Manitoba Building Code and Manitoba Plumbing Code to include energy efficiency as an objective for the first time ever.
Ok, So Canada has gone green, would such mandatory green building ever be able to take root in America? The answer yes and it is already happening too. California’s First Mandatory Green Building Code, effective Jan. 1, includes provisions to reduce energy usage, conserve water and improve environmental quality. And its not just California many other states are considering legislation and upgrades to the building code to make green building the law. In Albuquerque, NM the city has the Green Path Program which calls for adopting energy efficient building codes. In 2007 the city signed the adopted revised Energy Conservation Code which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by requiring new buildings, and existing buildings undergoing alterations, to be more energy efficient.

The point is if you are still resisting the green revolution its time to get on board. Its no longer just the right thing to do or the environmentally conscious thing to do is rapidly becoming what you have to do, and if its not required to build green today, it most likely will be tomorrow.

The Numbers Behind Going Green: 5 Fun (& Informative) Calculators

By Vicki Zambito

Google “environmental websites” and you get 31 million results. Look for “green blogs” on Technorati and the results show over 6,000 sites. No doubt about it, there is a lot of information on “being green” out there. It can be intimidating if you are looking for a place to start and trying to figure out how to be more environmentally-friendly without upending your life. Like any good businessman or woman would tell you, start with a benchmark. Figure out how green you are today, and then go from there. Here are five fun calculators to help get you started.

1. IN THE OFFICE:
Widgetbox’s Eco Calculator - This online widget calculates how much greenhouse gas, trees and wastewater you and your company can save by using eco-friendly paper products.
Link: http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/eco-calculator

2. AT HOME:
Low Impact Living Calculator – This household environmental calculator shows not only the carbon footprint but also energy, water, wastewater, trash, and stormwater runoff footprints of your home and lifestyle.
Link: http://lowimpactliving.com/pages/impact-calculator/impact-calculator

3. ON THE ROAD:
Vehicle Eco Calculator – This number cruncher uses fuel economy, sticker price, miles driven per year and the price of gasoline to determine annual fuel costs and carbon dioxide emissions. I learned that I am going to spend roughly $2,000 in gas this year and give off 6.22 metric tons of CO2.
Link: http://www.leopardo.com/vec/

4. IN THE AIR:
TerraPass Air Travel Calculator – This tool allows you to input your air travel plans to calculate your air emissions and compares it to your emissions if you chose other forms of transportation to reach the same location. It’s fun to use. I am about to head from Tampa to San Francisco for a work conference so I plugged in my flight information and learned my flight will give off 2,312 lbs of CO2 and that it would be “greener” of me to carpool. Anyone on their way across the country? Can I hitch a ride?
Link: http://www.terrapass.com/carbon-footprint-calculator/#air

5. YOUR TOTAL IMPACT:
World Wildlife Fund’s Footprint Calculator - This simple, handy calculator looks at the impact of food, transportation, work and other important indices. It takes just five minutes!
Link: http://footprint.wwf.org.uk/

Can the healthcare industry stomach the latest LEED rating system?

By Ryan Sparks

Just when you thought the healthcare industry could not possibly be more regulated, there will soon be an additional option for self-imposed oversight with the new LEED for Healthcare Green Building Rating System. This rating system has completed its third public comment period and it is expected to be launched before the end of the year.

Once launched, this new rating system, which is a collaborative effort between the USGBC and Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC), will provide guidelines for facilities to improve the health of their patients and the planet. While it is widely expected that many of the items in the rating system, such as increasing access to daylight and raising air quality will be widely adopted, there will be some significant obstacles facing this new rating system upon its release:

• Cost Phobia – Small hospitals and senior care facilities will likely implement any “green” improvement that will reduce their fixed costs, such as more efficient lighting. However, many facilities will simply not have the financial means to finance the overall improvements needed to be certified under the new system.
  
• Preexisting Complexities – With so much uncertainty around healthcare reform and other mandatory initiatives, such as implementing electronic healthcare records, it is likely that many organizations may shy away from taking on an additional large-scale initiative.
  
• Regulation Fatigue – Healthcare facilities already face regulation at the local, state, and federal level and, as a result, the option to take on one more review may be too much for some organization to handle.

Only time with tell if the healthcare industry will embrace this new rating system or if facilities pick and choose the green initiatives that address their individual needs.

LEED 4.0

By Jeff Nippes

Whether you embraced or resisted the release of LEED 3.0 (LEED V3 or LEED 2009), one thing is certain, the next version of LEED is already in the works. I can hear some collective groans through cyberspace now. If something is working, why fix it? Or better yet, why do they have to change it now that I have it almost figured out?

First, relax. LEED isn’t changing anytime soon. Most of us are still trying to decipher all the changes that LEED 3.0 brought us, such as: the three tiered credentialing system (though only 2 tiers currently exist), the five specialty designations (BD+C, O+M, ID+C, Homes and ND), a 100 point credit scale for all categories, and regional priority credits.

Change can be painful and sometimes new versions of things are no better than the last. For example, some versions of Microsoft Windows are no better than their predecessors (anyone remember Windows NT?). But the concept of building a system, improving it, and launching new versions will, in the long run, greatly improve that system. If you looked back at all early versions of Widows, it’s hard to imagine how we ever called that an operating system (of course back then we didn’t know what operating system meant either). Perhaps we’ll all look back one day and talk about the early versions of LEED and how the changes brought on by LEED 3.0 helped us improve every subsequent version. We might even wonder how we ever got along without it.

Black, White, and Shades of Green: Environmental Ethics

By: Rumanda Young

As I begin a new semester of teaching I am met by eager master’s level students who want to learn how to marry design with the environment. These future professionals are exposed to the idea of sustainability and environmental ethics much more than students of the past. Today, professionals in the planning, design, and construction industry must understand Aldo Leopold’s statement that “a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise” (1933).

Not only do professionals have an obligation to design for the welfare and safety of people they represent; they also have an obligation to safeguard the environment. There is an ethical obligation to promote excellence of design and endeavor to conserve and preserve the integrity and heritage of the natural and built environment. Professionals are faced with issues, including:

• Loss of natural areas
• Land consumption
• Energy efficiency
• Water quality
• Air quality
• Endangered/threatened species
• Resource conservation
• Habitat destruction
• Noise pollution
• Light pollution
• Encroachment issues

Environmental consideration in design and development is based on the idea that “land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics” (Leopold 1933). Development professionals are not the only people faced with ethical judgments regarding land use. The following individuals also play an integral role in making ethical land use choices:

• Landowners
• Land developers
• Builders
• Public land-users (e.g. campers, hunters)
• Citizens involved in interest groups
• Public officials (e.g. elected, appointed)
• Land-use professionals (e.g. planners)
• Resource Managers
• Banking Institutions
• Homeowners
• Environmental and conservation groups.

Professionals in the planning, design and construction industry should strive to make environmentally sound decisions for the sake of future generations. How professionals (and the general public) treat the natural and built environment today will diminish or enhance the quality of life for future generations. Timothy Beatley wrote that although “some degree of human intrusion on the natural environment is inevitable, there is an ethical obligation to ensure that the human footprint is a small one” (Beatley 1994).

What do Kids and Green Building Have in Common? AECOM Found a Link.

By Vicki Zambito

It’s difficult to teach young kids about concepts like sustainability and not being wasteful. I know I have to constantly remind my own children to turn off the faucet and not leave every light in the house burning. I also know I am not alone.

It’s nice to see a large corporation leading by example when it comes to raising our kids to appreciate sustainability. AECOM employs 46,000 people worldwide and is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including transportation, facilities, environmental, energy, water and government.

AECOM is also the designer for the world’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum-certified public children’s garden in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

According to the AECOM website:

The Paul Smith Children’s Village at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens is one of less
than 300 projects worldwide to achieve Platinum status and the second commercial
project in Wyoming to earn LEED Platinum.

The goal of the AECOM design team for the Children’s Village was to create an interest and understanding in children of natural and sustainable systems through fun, interactive experiences in a garden setting. The garden showcases and interprets sustainable systems for food production and preparation, water quality, energy production, habitation, community building, and cultural fulfillment.

The Children’s Village features a historic prairie that allows visitors to see how Native Americans lived in the Cheyenne area; a sustainable agriculture area featuring a village square, farmer’s market and amphitheater; a solar court that demonstrates healthy food preparation methods that utilize fresh produce; and examples of water systems, including the use of flow forms, aeration and biolfiltration with wetlands.

Over 77% of construction waste was diverted from the landfill and repurposed in recycled concrete walls, piers, and amphitheater seating. “As we began the LEED process, the team had to be practical and flexible with our design strategies,” stated Mark Kosmos, AECOM project manager. “An early walk of the site revealed a quantity of discarded viaduct stone and a vast supply of concrete slab on site from a previous era. We were able to reuse these materials in the walls and amphitheater in artful ways. It turned out this was not only sustainable but also practical and cost effective.”

Click here for some children's garden pictures.