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 [...]

We are starting this weekend off with a new series. 12 Steps to a Successful LEED Project.
In an effort to get updated with LEED 2009 we are offering up a document we’ve compiled to educate building owners and developers on how to organize their LEED project.
We’ll start with the basics and describe in relative [...]

The new version of LEED has some new and improved features and I wanted to discuss this idea of “weighting credits” that the USGBC has mentioned since GreenBuild.
To start with the new book is 674 pages - ridiculously big so plan on paying more for it than you did.
Secondly, they have decided to organize all [...]

Obama is in office and already teaming up with the USGBC on setting a goal to have all federal buildings become carbon neutral 2025. What does that mean? achieving net zero carbon emissions by balancing a measured amount of carbon released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset. Obama also stated that he wants [...]

I have something for you - a great article, a must read, and a great prelude to Tuesday’s festivities!

Top 10 Green Building Stories of 2008
Well we may not have gotten everything we asked for - As a country we certainly didn’t expect to be here on January 20th.
No one expected to see hundreds of thousands [...]

I figured it was time to poke some fun at ourselves and our industry. So here a couple jokes to get you through the day.

• How many daylighting consultants does it take to change a light bulb?

  None—the sun will be back up in exactly 10 hours.

• How many LEED Accredited Professionals does it take to change a light bulb?

  Four—one to tell you how to earn LEED points by changing it, one to change it, one to document the change, and one to deliver the check to the U.S. Green Building Council for certifying the change.

• How many product manufacturers does it take to change a light bulb?
  

Commissioning is used to deliver a building that operates as it was designed, and it’s not completed until the building operators are trained to run the building correctly. The focus is typically on the heating ventilating and air conditioning, but can involve the building envelope, emergency power and any other system that is part [...]

LEED’s Neighborhood Pattern and Design, Compact Development, intends to “Conserve land. Promote community livability, transportation efficiency, and walkability,” and while it sounds ideal in theory it has caused some stir. On Green Life Smart Life, the author points out how LEED penalizes the size of everything and highlights a point system used by [...]

During a Sustainable Building Course this weekend it became evident that a real divide in the world exists of which most Americans are completely unaware. I want to share with everyone the presentation that brought this divide to reality for us here at Environmental Building Strategies. Organic Architect presented this to us, and [...]

4. “Conserve Building Materials, Reduce Construction Waste, and Sensibly Use Natural Resources.” Recycling old materials, using products like bamboo which has a short regeneration time, and focusing on attaining materials from nearby all contribute to the conservation of natural resources. 5. “Protect and Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality.” Monitoring levels of [...]