Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it is asking influencers in the sustainable building industry for input in the next development of its LEED program.
It is a request that excites Superior Essex Communications Global Head of Sustainability, Annie Bevan, who said that having people embedded in this movement helps to enable the change that is needed.
“We are incredibly supportive of the changes to the LEED v4.1 rating system,” she said. “I would second the request and extend an invitation to everyone involved to offer input to the USGBC as it continues to make the LEED rating system pertinent and impactful in the built environment.
“We have enjoyed collaborating with MR TAG members to ensure these changes are both achievable as well as continuing to drive the industry toward a better future for all.”
The USGBC created LEED two decades ago to help measure and define green building to help guide. In January of 2019 it released LEED v4.1 that emphasized human experiences and pushed projects to focus on not simply reducing carbon emissions, energy dependence, water use and waste but also to improve the well-being of occupants in the space.
Melissa Baker, the senior Vice President of LEED, said that the collective working together will produce something that is mutually beneficial for the current building community and the sustainably intelligent building initiative.
“Imagine a rating system adaptive and responsive to the ever-changing world around us. This is what we are working toward with LEED,” Baker said in a release. “Now that LEED v4.1 is out and has been positively received by the community, we are exploring how we can strengthen LEED v4.1 and also plan what’s next for the rating system. We are working to ensure that LEED remains a global leadership standard, and we know that as we evolve LEED, industry feedback and support are critical.”
Forward thinkers around the globe are looking for ways to reduce climate risks by pledging to increase awareness in the effort to reduce carbon emissions. The next steps are to continue to message building owners to the opportunities for not only environmental positive impact but an improved bottom line for sourcing products that are healthy while showing non-tangible benefits provided to occupants in an effort to reduce health concerns and deliver a value proposition that supports the everyday needs of occupants to raise their living standard.
LEED is helping to support these market changes and is continuing to evolve with the data to improve the performance throughout the lifecycle of buildings. It is also aiming to advance net zero – or net positive practices – as well as reward industry leaders in a meritocracy based on enabling building owners and leaders to track progress toward environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals.
Mahesh Ramanujam, president & CEO, USGBC, said that the current LEED system has been well-received but it is, live this entire sector, continually evolving.
“With LEED v4.1 we have fundamentally transformed our rating system development process,” Ramanujam said. “It has allowed us to become more agile and adaptable to incorporate real time feedback so that we can realistically raise the bar on the marketplace. We received an overwhelming response to our LEED v4.1 call for proposals, which has helped us to deliver on the market needs making LEED v4.1 successful and a market leader. Building on this success, we are excited to engage the market again to solicit ideas, proposals and feedback for improving LEED v4.1 and future versions of LEED. Together, we can continue the work we started with LEED v4.1 to ensure that LEED is not only the de facto leadership standard but also creating a better living standard.”
The USGBC community can participate in the call for LEED proposals session by clicking here. The annual Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will be taking place in Atlanta on Nov. 19-22, 2019 and will include the “Future of LEED” education session, which will review market feedback and provide updates on performance-based outcomes, transparency and continuous improvement to future versions of LEED.
Superior Essex Communications products can help support those seeking LEED v4.1 certification through its intelligent building technology as well as contributions to the materials and resources credit category through, EPD, HPD and optimization prioritization towards lowering embodied carbon.
A lunch and learn with one of our solutions experts can also help to earn AIA CEC’s or BICSI CECs.