LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design was formed by the US Green Building Council to develop an organized method for designing and building green projects. Projects, such as schools, hospitals, homes and many others can be certified under various levels outlined by LEED. With LEED certification, a project is guaranteed to meet several sustainability requirements.
LEED focuses on important sustainability areas to insure that a project truly is green. The site selection criteria considers the impact on the surrounding environment, such as waterways, erosion, and pollution. Efficient use of water is achieved through resourceful appliances and low maintenance landscaping. Energy use, through lighting and heating and cooling is decreased by the use of better insulation or through the installation of clean energy generation. The construction process is also investigated by using sustainably grown lumber and through the reduction of waste.
The ratings system for LEED is based off of 8 criteria; Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials aand Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Locations and Linkages, Awareness and Education, and Innovation and Design. Each of these criteria has a maximum amount of points that can be achieved. These can vary based off the type of project. The points are then added up and the certification level is assigned. These levels go from low sustainability to high, starting with Certified and going up to Platinum.
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