Should we be all that surprised that LEED designations turn out to be a big joke?
Wasn't the LEED scheme created by builders as a way to pat themselves on the back and create a PR mechanism for developer investment & public $$?
More from the New Republic article ...
The nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) unveiled LEED in 1998 as a way to measure a building’s environmental footprint. It has grown into the most popular certification system for green buildings, with some 50,000 buildings either certified or in the certification process globally. A stamp from LEED signals “green” to the public, and
it’s good for more than just PR: Some certifications can be cashed in for tax credits. In fact, many cities, states, and federal agencies now require new buildings to work with LEED.
To become certified, buildings earn LEED “points” for specific environmental interventions. The rating takes into account a variety of factors, like building materials, air quality, water conservation, and—of course—energy performance. When they accumulate enough points, they are awarded certification, which comes in the flavors of Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum (the highest).
LEED has helped create a market for sustainability where one didn’t exist before.
The problem is that real-estate developers have been able to game the system, racking up points for relatively minor measures. A
USA Today series last October
found developers accruing points simply by posting educational displays throughout a building and installing bike racks—and avoiding measures that might be more costly and effective ...
“
What LEED designers deliver is what most LEED building owners want—namely, green publicity, not energy savings,” John Scofield, a professor of physics at Oberlin, testified before the House last year ...
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