LEED: Sufficient for National Policy? Daniel Lee, USP187, University of California, San Diego, Urban Studies and Planning Program 3/8/2011. Project done thanks to interviewees, case study reviews from the green buildings websites, and the help of USP professors and T.A.s 4 5 LEED and Green Building The question that my research project addresses is to examine whether LEED should or should not be implemented as a standard within national policy for new buildings. This project examined why LEED is justified as an institution that stands out in the midst of all other green building rating systems in Southern California and in the rest of the United States. During this trend toward sustainability, the LEED rating system has stood out in terms of establishing the criteria for green building certifications. By addressing the issues of energy waste, increased water consumption, conservation of natural resources, and the environmental health of buildings, LEED has become a hallmark institution in the area of sustainability. Through conducting interviews, researching key findings in scholarly literature, and participant observation in green building workshops, I found that LEED as an institution has definitely stood out among the other green building rating systems due to the way in which the certification process is simpler, goals are clearer, and benefits from LEED are apparent more so than other green building rating systems such as Green Globes. Purpose of the study: to find out whether LEED is sufficient to be instituted into national policy through participant observation, LEED certified building case studies, and archival research. Background and significance Green building has been in the forefront of the movement for more sustainable practices LEED has stood out as the most popular The question is to figure out whether this popularity and recognition is well deserved and worthy for implementation on a national scale Green building maintenance and operations account for a significant amount of energy usage in the US -Reeder, Linda. Guide to Green Building Rating Systems: Understanding LEED, Green Globes, Energy Star, the National Green Building Standard, and more. New Jersey: Wiley, Melaver, Martin and Mueller, Phyllis. The Green Building Bottom Line: the Real Cost of Sustainable Building. New York: McGraw-Hill, Gifford, Henry. “A Better Way to Rate Green Buildings,” LEED Critique: Gifford (2008): 1-12, accessed November 2, 2010, -Murphy, Pat. “Leeding from Behind: The Rise and Fall of Green Building” (2009): 1-10, accessed November 2, 2010, -Yudelson, Jerry. “Green Building Through Integrated Design” McGraw-Hill Professional, (2008):4-70 Secretariat of Commission for Environmental Cooperation. “Green Building in North America: Opportunities and Challenges” Commission for Environmental Cooperation (2008) CONCLUSION This research proved favorable to the institution of LEED due to the way in which LEED has become such a prominent milestone in the arena of green building based on the criteria of Efficiency permanent status as a brand name criteria requirements (sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation in design process, and regional priority) ease of use. The fact that LEED addresses these issues with clarity while making improvements according to criticisms makes LEED stand out in every way in the arena of green building. (Issues such as allocating points to less relevant design methods have been dealt with and LEED will continue to improve in this manner, as noted by the exponential progress seen in recent years). Even with further research on LEED’s main competitor, Green Globes, my research has shown that LEED remains the prominent, well-respected institution in the US (in terms of cost and trust) For further improvements, I would conduct a study to publicize the actual efficiency of specific buildings through annual checkups. My research strategy was a four-step process that included researching certain LEED certified buildings as case studies, conducting a series of interviews to get a hands-on experience of what it is like to undergo the LEED process, comparing this data with LEED’s main competition (Green Globes), and applying this to the broader scope of green building in the national context. With my research project thesis in mind, which is to find out whether or not LEED is sufficient enough to be considered for national policy, I sought out people who I could interview and get insightful information from. Through these interviews, I hoped to gain valuable insight into the mindset of people that have dealt with the process of green building. Interviews Examples of LEED point allocation values – Old model vs. New Model Cost Comparisons case studies (Green Globes vs. LEED) LEED continues to make improvements such as limiting incentives for unfair point allocation Lake view Terrace Library –LEED Source: USGBC Integrated Learning Centre – Green Globes Source: greenglobes.com LEED = much more expensive than Green Globes, but proves to be worth value? LEED in Energy Efficiency Source: Melaver, Martin and Mueller, Phyllis. The Green Building Bottom Line: the Real Cost of Sustainable Building. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009 LEED is considered a brand name – reliability in repuation