US Green Building Announces LEED Zero
The U.S. Green Building Council announced late last week that it has launched LEED Zero, a new program addressing net zero operations and resources in buildings.
“Net zero is a powerful target that will move the entire industry forward,” said Melissa Baker, senior vice president of technical core at USGBC.
“For years, LEED projects around the world have aspired to net zero milestones. We are recognizing the leadership of these projects—and formalizing our commitment to focusing on carbon and net zero across the entire LEED community. These new certification programs will encourage a holistic approach for buildings and places to contribute to a regenerative future and enhance the health and wellbeing for not only building occupants, but all of humanity.”
According to the council, LEED Zero is open to all LEED projects certified under the BD+C, ID+C or O+M rating systems, or projects registered to pursue LEED O+M certification.
A LEED Zero certification can be achieved when projects demonstrate net zero carbon emissions, net zero energy use, net zero water use or net zero waste and it recognizes that a project has implemented sustainability strategies.
The council says that LEED Zero builds on LEED by recognizing specific achievements in building operations and rewards projects that have used LEED as a framework to address important aspects of green buildings and taken their buildings to the next level by designing and operating toward net zero goals.
“For more than two decades, LEED has provided a framework for high performance buildings and spaces, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions through strategies impacting land, energy, transportation, water, waste and materials,” said Baker.
“Building on that work, LEED Zero is a complement to LEED that verifies the achievement of net zero goals and signals market leadership in green building.”
The next phase, the USGBC says, will be LEED Positive, where buildings generate more energy than they use and remove more carbon than they produce.
