Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has emerged as the go-to measuring stick for a building's greenness. It's not that it doesn't have its critics, but it is a standard that continues to evolve.
In that vein, LEED's proud parent, the United States Green Building Council, is birthing a new child, one that does not just look at one building or one development. Their new LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system utilizes the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building to create the first ever standard that attempts to quantify the sustainability of a neighborhood.
This rating system being presented builds upon 240 neighborhoods that were monitored since summer 2007; ultimately, 18 have been certified. It looks at brownfield redevelopment, pedestrian- and bike-friendly infrastructure, energy effiency, and a lot more -- it's 127 pages, FYI.
Now the public is invited to comment on the draft -- at least until January 5; to do so, visit
this website. To learn more about LEED as a whole, read
this article.
Here's your chance to give those LEED-ers an earful.
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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