Why Was LEED Created

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a rating system for green buildings that was developed in 1998 by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). This system has established a set of standards to help identify buildings that are environmentally sustainable. This is a very high achievement for a building to earn and has become desirable among competitive. "green. " industries and companies.

The main purpose of LEED is to set a high standard for environmentally friendly constructions and establish a green rating that is sought after and desired by companies. This is to promote the development of more buildings that are. "green. ".

LEED began as a staff of volunteers who were committed to holding up a high environmental definition for developments and buildings. Now LEED is a company involving almost 150 staff members and twenty committees with more than 200 volunteers.

Here is a list of reasons why the USGBC created LEED:

-To define a. "green building. "

-To transform the building market

-To raise awareness for the green building market

-To recognize leaders in the environmental building industry

-To raise competition for raising environmentally friendly buildings

A building is rated for LEED by using a point scoring system that is centered around six different features: building materials and resources, energy use and atmosphere, water efficiency, sustainable sites, innovation of the design process, and the indoor environmental quality. A building is also able to qualify for four different levels of certification: Certified (just made it in!), silver, gold, and platinum.

Buildings which are certified by LEED are usually only attained at a much higher cost than those which are merely built to standard procedure. However, these extra initial building costs may be offset in the long run if proper care is taken to make use of energy efficient and sustainable energy sources. If being recognized as an environmentally friendly company is important for you, this will be worth the extra time and effort to attain.