Green Building Education

LEED Introduction
ExeThe LEED™ Green Building Rating System is a priority program of the US 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.”

LEED™ is based on accepted energy and environmental principles and strikes a balance between known effective practices and emerging concepts. Unlike other rating systems currently in existence, the development of the LEED™ Green Building Rating System™ was instigated by the US Green Building Council Membership, representing all segments of the building industry, and has been open to public scrutiny.

LEED™ is a self-assessing 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.

The LEED™ Rating System is divided into six categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation in Design.

WE c1.1, 1.2, ID1.3 Water Use Reduction
A combination of water efficient plumbing fixtures was utilized to conserve water usage on the IOS project. A reduction in water usage results in less of a burden on the municipal water supply and waste water systems. Water savings, as it relates to LEED, is based on the guidance of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct). The IOS project incorporated waterless urinals and low-flow lavatories (0.5 gpm) to achieve a water reduction of 40% below baseline EPAct measures.

EAc1.4 Optimize Energy Performance
95% of the office products used at the IOS showroom are Energy Star rated. Through the use of Energy Star products, IOS will lower its demand for electricity. By reducing energy consumption, IOS will be cutting back on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (a leading cause of global warming) released into the atmosphere. Another benefit of minimizing electrical usage is that heat generation within the interior space will be reduced, resulting in less of a need for air conditioning and cooling, which further reduces green house gas emissions. Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. The Energy Star program was designed to help consumers save money and protect the environment through the use of energy efficient products and practices. More information can be found about ENERGY STAR at http://www.energystar.gov

Green Power EAc4
For a minimum of two years, all of the electricity used at IOS will be offset by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Since green power (i.e. wind and solar, geothermal, hydropower, and various forms of biomass) is not available to be purchased from California utilities, IOS has decided to purchase RECs to ensure that the amount of electricity they use is replaced onto the power grid with clean, renewable power. More information can be found about green power at http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying

Const. Waste Management MR C2.1, 2.2
75% of all the construction and demolition waste generated on the project was diverted from the landfill, and instead sent to a recycling facility. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 136 million tons of building-related C&D debris was generated in the United States in 1996. Through effective construction waste management, it is possible to extend the lifetime of existing landfills, avoiding the need for expansion on new landfill sites.

Recycled Content MRc4.1, 4.2
Many of the materials and furnishings used in the IOS project are made from both post-consumer and pre-consumer recycled content. By purchasing products with recycled content, IOS is reducing the impacts associated with the extraction and processing of virgin materials. More information on recycling and recycled products can be found through the California State Integrated Waste Management Board at http://ciwmb.ca.gov

Regional Materials MR5.1, 5.2
20% of the materials and furnishings that are used in the IOS showroom were manufactured within a 500 mile radius of the project site, and half of those materials and furnishings were extracted or harvested within a 500 mile radius. An increase in demand for locally extracted and manufactured building materials and products supports the regional economy and reduces the environmental impact resulting from transporting materials around the country (and sometimes around the world). By reducing transportation activities, there is a reduction of pollution (global warming emissions) and traffic that is associated with delivering materials to the job site.

Low-Emitting Materials EQc4.1-.5
IOS has taken a step to improve the quality of its indoor environment by using low-emitting materials. All adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, carpet, composite wood products, and furnishings installed on this project have a low-VOC content, or are considered low-emitting. VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds (i.e. the “new car smell”), are emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors. More information can be found about VOCs at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html

Green Housekeeping ID1.2
To maintain a healthy Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), IOS has decided to hire a “green” housekeeping service. Green housekeeping is characterized by the use of environmentally and human friendly cleaning products and practices. IOS has specifically chosen to use cleaning products that are certified by Green Seal. Green Seal-approved products are safer for cleaning personnel and building occupants (i.e. they don’t have malodorous fumes) and they are manufactured in an environmentally responsible manner. More information about green housekeeping practices and a list of approved chemicals can be found at http://www.greenseal.org
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