FYI: What is a LEED-Certified Building?

With all the latest interest in preserving the environment, it's no surprise that standards have been developed to promote the design and construction of "green" work and living spaces. I'm sure many have heard of the term "LEED" by now.

The acronym LEED stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, "LEED is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality."

According to the site, buildings are responsible for:

• 70% of electricity consumption,
• 39% of energy use,
• 39% of all carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions,
• 40% of raw materials use,
• 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and
• 12% of potable water consumption.

The LEED standard is way too complicated to get into on a blog like this one, but a visit to USGBC.org will help shed some light on the subject.

Some examples of LEED-certified commercial buildings in Sarasota:

• North Sarasota Library (Gold Certified - LEED)
• Twin Lakes Office Park Complex / Sarasota Government (Gold Certified - LEED)