LEED by example

I decided to become LEED-AP during my last semester in grad school because at the time, LEED-AP was the most recognizable title in the field of sustainability.  I saw the USGBC as an organization trying to promote the principles of the holistic sustainable design philosophy.  

Of course LEED has deficiencies but it takes time to have a smooth running "well-oiled zero emissions machine fueled by bacon grease" (bacon hmmmm).  LEED is a household name when it comes to sustainability.  USGBC has created a quantifiable system on the practice of sustainability with LEED certification.  It has rebranded the concept of building sustainability appropriate for today and has brought massive awareness to the public.

LEED provides an extensive guideline to create the “perfect” building.  The main struggles for LEED is the final assessment phase and high certification cost.  The final assessment is inefficient and with CIRs, certification could take up to a year.  I would rather see the certification cost be put back into the facility rather than for documentation, review, and a plaque?  That is where Green Globes sets itself apart from LEED.  The Green Globes program, not a household name, was created by the Green Building Initiative (GBI) that provides sustainability assessment and certification services just like the USGBC.  GBI’s Green Globes program is a state and federal recognized alternative to LEED.  What is unique to Green Globes is the onsite building assessment from a third party assessor, and it doesn't hurt to be a fraction of the cost of LEED.  GBI assigns a third party assessor that not only reviews your sustainability documentation, conducts an onsite building assessment; they also provide suggestions on how to create a more sustainable building.

On a recent project, Prairie-Hills Junior High School, we took the opportunity to compare LEED and Green Globes side by side.  We pursued both LEED Silver Certification and Two Green Globes Certification.  Green Globes certification was overall substantial cheaper by 60% and with the onsite assessment; the review process was more efficient.  I found the LEED program provides the best sustainable guidelines to achieve the “perfect” building, while the Green Globes program provides the best building assessment. Both LEED and Green Globes are valid tools for evaluating environmentally high performing green and sustainable buildings. The culmination of LEED and Green Globes is the next step to create and assess building sustainability.