Earth Protect Blog

This article talks a lot about the LEED certification system so I am first posting a description of what LEED is and how/who is certified.

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. The LEED rating systems are developed through an open, consensus-based process led by LEED committees, diverse groups of volunteers representing a cross-section of the building and construction industry. Key elements of the process include a balanced and transparent committee structure, technical advisory groups that ensure scientific consistency and rigor, opportunities for stakeholder comment and review, member ballot of new rating systems, and fair and open appeals.

LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle – design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fitout, and significant retrofit. And LEED for Neighborhood Development extends the benefits of LEED beyond the building footprint into the neighborhood it serves.

LEED also makes business sense, benefiting commercial building owners as well as tenants.

With the LEED definition in mind, it is encouraging that interest in sustainable buildings continue to grow.

Interest in sustainable building continues to surge in this country and around the world.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) now boasts more than 19,000 members, and in March, the USGBC proclaimed that the 5,000th project had been LEED certified. This number excludes certified new homes. Nearly half of these projects became certified in 2009, a particularly difficult year for the industry.

There are currently close to 20,000 projects that have been registered in over 90 countries. Altogether, commercial building space with LEED certification amounts to more than 5 billion square feet.

Within the United States, the states that have the most LEED certified buildings are as follows (in order):

    California
    Florida
    Texas
    New York
    Illinois
    Washington
    Pennsylvania
    Michigan
    Colorado
    Oregon

 

California has over 800 certified buildings, and number two Florida has just over 300.

With over 135,000 LEED-credentialed professionals, green building represents an opportunity for job growth, particularly in the greenest states.

According to the Green Building Certification Institute, as of February 10, 2010, the largest numbers of LEED APs were Architects, with almost 39,904. Next was Construction Management professionals with 18,573.

As the demand for LEED certified buildings continues to spiral, the number of professionals needed to service this growth will likewise increase. Look for more and more real estate brokers, attorneys, and appraisers to become certified as demand for expertise in the industry extends to the professions that are tangentially related to design and construction.

-Jonathan Fischer, MAI

The LEED explanation is on the U.S. Green Building Council Website

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988

The article following the LEED description is informative and progressive! It was posted by Jonathan Fischer, MAI on October 18, 2010

http://ublog.naiglobal.com/blog/2010/10/18/sustainable-buildings-grow-in-popularity-across-u-s/