This article was written and submitted by Chris Birk
D.C.’s Green Building Dilemma
By Chris Birk of www.suretybonds.com/edu
When it passed in 2006, Washington, D.C.’s Green Building Act was heralded as an innovative way to incorporate green efficiencies into private and public building projects.
But not everyone was thrilled, especially surety companies — the industry that issues [...]

This is an excerpt of a recent article written by Jared Friedman for CleanTechies.com, a leading clean technology blog. It features an interview with Matt Macko, an author of the new LEED V3 EBOM exam.

LEEDing the Way: What to Expect On the New LEED 3.0 Exam
By Jared Friedman
I recently had the opportunity to speak with [...]

In another bold move by the president, he recently uttered the words LEED when referring to a Certification for the White House.  Is this even possible?  I mean I realize it is, but can we just take a step back for a minute and reflect on where we came from and what was happening in [...]

12. Research the USGBC website – ask around
The USGBC wants you to succeed – they happen to want you to be in compliance too. They are pushing the market in a new direction and by signing up you are agreeing that direction is a good one – you are advocating the same thing. Because [...]

The following is from a Buildinggreen.com article written about Matt’s experience writing the new LEED AP exam:
New LEED AP Exam Writer Tells All
Editor’s Note: When Matt Macko, a principal at Environmental Building Strategies, told me that he was the only energy expert in the room when the new LEED AP BD+C exam was [...]

Document early and often
Parties need to understand the importance of documenting throughout the process. This is especially relevant when it comes to MR credits. Because of the volume of information those credits require, it is essential that team members provide the LEED Consultants or PM’s with the documentation to be able to quantify [...]

Following our recent posts, the 7th Step in the 12 Steps to a Successful LEED Project requires team members to attend LEED workshops
7. Attend LEED Training workshops

Make sure everyone on the team has a copy of the LEED reference guide and their pages are highlighted. The LEED Consultant should provide the teams with the [...]

Lighting (especially Daylighting), energy modeling, LEED Documentation, and sustainability experts are just a few crucial aspects of a successful LEED project. Hiring a firm that can provide expertise in a package is often your best bet. They will understand how energy modeling affects LEED EA credits and even better they will be able to [...]

This is the 4th Step in our 12 Steps to a Successful LEED Project series.  Please read the following and let us know what you think - feel free to comment or inquire through  our website.
4.      Record, Record, Record
This goes along with what was mentioned last week about sharing the successes we incur in life.  [...]

2. Evaluate compliance and strategies

Teams must initially evaluate their projects ability to comply with LEED and which system is most appropriate. Sometimes costs will be too much of a hurdle to overcome especially with certain versions of the new LEED 2009 system. If region is a hurdle then often more expensive credits will have [...]