LEED Evolves

Each Greenbuild marks a milestone in the evolution of LEED. In 2005, the big news was the move away from the cumbersome project documentation binders toward an online submittal process. This year, USGBC leadership announced a series of proposed changes that echo the topic that seems to have emerged as the unofficial theme of this year’s conference: climate change.

Next month USGB members will vote on a series of refinements to LEED that would target greenhouse gas reduction. These include a requirement that all new commercial projects reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent. As part of the initiative, projects will have to achieve at least two of LEED’s possible five energy and optimization credits. Council officials also announced that the organization’s operations would be carbon neutral by the end of 2007.

-Joann Gonchar