| Revision Date: | 8/01 |
| Process Code: | Navy/Marines: N/A; Air Force: N/A; Army: N/AG |
| Usage: | Navy: Medium; Marines: Medium; Army: Medium; Air Force: Medium |
| Compliance Impact: | High |
| Alternative for: | N/A |
| Applicable EPCRA Targeted Constituents: N/A | |
THE U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL'S LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (LEED) GREEN BUILDING RATING PROGRAM
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| Overview: | The Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is a program of the U.S. Green Building
Council. It is a voluntary, consensus-based, market-driven building rating system
based on existing, proven technology. It evaluates environmental performance from a
"whole building" perspective over a building's life cycle, providing a
definitive standard for what constitutes a "green building". The LEED
system can be used to guide project teams who want to set quantifiable goals for creating
a sustainable facility. The LEED system is based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known effective practices and emerging concepts. The system is a self-certifying system designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings. It is a feature-oriented system where credits are earned for satisfying each criterion. Different levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The system is designed to be comprehensive in scope, yet simple in operation. Version 2.0 of LEED is currently in use, as of July 2001. Version 2.0 includes the results of feedback by experts on the pilot program. This new version also includes a movement toward being a performance-based rating system rather than a combination performance- and prescriptive-based rating system. This has made LEED more dynamic, comprehensive and easier to use. Another difference is the change to a single innovation credit, which can be applied for by owners and designers for innovative green building design or construction practices that the LEED Rating System does not address, instead of a variety of bonus credits. Version 3.0 of LEEDS is in development. Project managers and/or designers may choose to review the LEED criteria, identify those criteria that are important and relevant to the project, and set goals for obtaining credits in each selected area. USGBC also has established committees to develop additional LEED rating systems for Multiple Building Projects, Existing Buildings, Core and Shell projects, and Tenant Improvements. A PDF version of the LEED document can be obtained through the U.S. Green Building Council's website at www.usgbc.org and following the link to LEED Rating System. For more information about LEED, contact: U.S. Green Building Council |
| Compliance Benefit: |
Integration of the LEED system into building design and construction will help facilities
meet the requirements under Executive Order 13101, requiring executive
agencies (e.g. DOD) to incorporate waste prevention and recycling in their daily
operations, and to consider the following factors in developing plans, drawings, work
statements, specifications, or other product descriptions: elimination of virgin material
requirements; use of recovered materials; reuse of produce; life-cycle cost;
recyclability; use of environmentally preferable products; waste prevention (including
toxicity reduction or elimination); and ultimate disposal, as appropriate.
Use of the LEED system also will help facilities comply with 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 247: Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG), which designates numerous items that are, or can be, manufactured using recycled anad recovered materials. Construction, landscaping and park and recreation products are among the designated items. Federal agencies are required to purchase U.S. EPA-designated items meeting minimum recycled content standards unless they are not available within a reasonable period of time; fial to meet reasonable specifications standards; are not available from two or more sources (to maintain competition); or are unreasonably priced (cost more than comparable non-recycled products). This activity also helps facilities to comply with the Department of Navy's Naval Facilities Engineering Command Planning And Design Policy Statement - 98 - 01: Design of Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure, June 18, 1998, which requires all facilities and infrastructure-related design and construction to incorporate sustainable design principles. This includes domestic construction for the Navy, Air Force (when Navy is the design agent for the project), and Marines, as well as aobut half of domestic Army construction and about half of all offshore military construction. In addition, the Air Force Engineering Technical Letter (ETL) 00-1 (5 January 00) ensures that Air Force civil engineer specifications comply with public law, Executive Order, and Air Force policy, including U.S. EPA's comprehensive procurement guidelines and other environmentally preferable products purchasing activities. Implementing sustainable development strategies also will help facilities meet requirements under the Department of the Army Technical Letter No. 1110-3-491, "Sustainable Design for Military Facilities", released on May 1, 2001. This letter provides basic criteria for incorporating sustainable design concepts in the design and construction of military facilities. The compliance benefits listed here are only meant to be
used as a general guideline and are not meant to be strictly inerpreted. Actual
compliance benefits will vary depending on the factors involved, e.g. the amount of
workload involved. |
| Materials Compatibility: | No materials compatibility issues were identified.
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| Safety and Health: |
No major safety or health issued are associated with using LEED. Consult your local
industrial health specialist, your local health and safety personnel, and the appropriate
MSDS prior to implementing product substitutions driven by LEED criteria.
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| Benefits: |
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| Disadvantages: |
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| Economic Analysis: |
Conducting an economic analysis of projects using the LEED Rating System is difficult
considering the numerous factors involved in implementing sustainable design and building
activities. The LEED Rating System is relatively new and, therefore, very few actual
buildings have been completed that have incorporated the rating system. |
| Approving Authority: |
Approval is controlled locally and should be implemented only after engineering approval
has been granted. Major claimant approval is not required.
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| NSN/MSDS: |
*There are multiple MSDSs for most NSNs. |
| Points of Contact: |
Air Force: Mr. Larry Dryden HQ ACC/CECE 129 Andrews Street, Suite 102 Langley AFB, VA 23665 Phone: (757) 764-3614 FAX: (757) 764-5339 Email:larry.dryden@landley.af.mil Ms. Karen Kevela Mr. Randall Lierly
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| Sources: | Environmental Building News - Building
Green, Inc., 122 Bridge Street, Suite 30, Brattleboro, VT 05301 Residential Construction Waste Management: A Builder's Field Guide, National Association of Home Builders Research Center, 400 Prince George's Boulevard, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774. Ms. Karen Kivela, Environmental Quality Directorate, Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence, January 2000.
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