The U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009 has passed member ballot and will be introduced in 2009.

This updated version of LEED includes a number of technical advancements aimed to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and address other environmental and human health concerns.

Credits have been re-weighed to reflect climate change and energy efficiency as urgent. As a result, three green cleaning credits have been removed from the certification. The three credits previously available for purchasing sustainable products including chemicals, paper and can liners, have been condensed into a single credit. Also, only one credit is now available for meeting the “Custodial Effectiveness Assessment” instead of two.

LEED 2009 will also incorporate regional credits, extra points that have been identified as priorities within a project’s given environmental zone.

The program incorporates eight years of market and user feedback in Credit-Interpretation Rulings that will ensure clarity for project teams.

 

Greenguard Launches Emissions Standard

The Atlanta-based Greenguard Environmental Institute (GEI) announced initiation of its product emissions standard for indoor products.

GEI developed the standard to create broader health-based standards applicable to a wide range of products used in schools, homes, hospitals, extended healthcare facilities and commercial space. The new standard is open to all stakeholders and is intended to harmonize assessment parameters for determining a product’s impact on indoor air.

The initiation is health-based and requires a product’s emissions be held to both short- and long-term criteria.




POSTED ON: 12/1/2008