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Achieving Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is the recognized way to demonstrate that your building is truly "green." The LEED green building rating system -- developed and administered by the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington D.C.- based, non-profit coalition of builidng industry leaders -- is designed to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing negative environmental impacts.

The LEED rating system offers four certification levels that correspond to the number of credits a building accrues.  The four certification levels are:

  1. certified (40-49 points)
  2. silver (50-59 points)
  3. gold (60-79 points)
  4. platinum (80 points and above)

There are seven categories for credits.  Each of the following categories has mandatory elements as well as optional elements a building can have to score points:

  1. sustainable sites (26 possible points)
  2. water efficiency (14 possible points)
  3. energy and atmosphere (35 possible points)
  4. materials and resources (10 possible points)
  5. indoor environmental quality (15 possible points)
  6. innovation in operations (6 possible points), and
  7. regional priority (4 possible points).

Alternative commuting transportation is an element in the sustainable sites category.  The intent is to reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use for commuting.  A building can earn 3-15 points toward their LEED certification by:

Reducing the number of commuting round trips made by regular building occupants using single occupant, conventionally powered and conventionally fuelded vehicles.  Alternative transportation includes at a minimum, telecommuting; compressed workweeks; mass transit; walking; bicycles or other human-powered conveyances; carpools; vanpools; and low-emitting, fuel efficient or alternative-fuel vehicles.

LEED standards cover new commercial construction and major renovation projects, interiors and existing building operations.  Click here for an application or to find out more.