The Shocking (Old) Truth About LEED

The NY Times picked up on a trend that’s been gaining momentum for a long time.  In “Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label,” Mireya Navarro discusses the “gap between design and construction, which LEED certifies, and how some buildings actually perform.”  Navarro’s not breaking any new ground here, especially for those ensconced in the green building world; however, like the ingredients of a hot dog, the general population needs to understand what LEED is made of.

Would you be shocked to learn that a LEED building may or may not be energy or water efficient?  Don’t be.

It all comes down to an understanding of what LEED is….

These strategies “aim at performance” but we’re not talking about actual performance.  A LEED building may actually perform, which means it may actually use water and energy efficiently, but such is not required for LEED certification.  We’re not mincing words here, either.  There’s a big difference between certification and actual performance.

You have to pay close attention, but it’s still hard to catch the difference.  For example, the description of LEED on the USGBC’s home page says LEED is a “voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.”  Wait, “high performance” and “sustainable?”  Doesn’t the word “performance” mean that a building actually performs?  Meaning it actually uses less water and energy?  And doesn’t sustainable mean to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs?

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