LEED

Is LEED the key to Green Architecture? Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design is a certification process created by The United States Green Building Council. This certification process was created to reward attempts and advances in the green architecture field. “The LEED criteria encompass five major categories: Green Building Design and Construction, Green interior design and Construction, Green Building Operations & Maintenance, Green Neighbourhood Development, and Green Home Design and Construction. Points are awarded within these categories to determine the rating of the building. Developments are rated separately. A new designed neighborhood might have a LEED rating for the design of its streets and central wastewater treatment, but the houses themselves will have a different rating based on their materials and efficiencies.” […] “There are four levels of LEED certification, based on rating. Certified means that it complies with the basic requirements, while Silver, Gold, and Platinum reflect better ratings along the scale.  Points are awarded based on categories such as Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality”(Dunn, 2018). Although LEED is not making front page news, it is a step in the right direction and is a “resume padder” in the construction world so only good things can come from it. Ideally, large corporations will catch onto this trend and raise more awareness for green buildings which will in turn benefit society by making the U.S. a little bit more environmentally friendly one step at a time.