USGBC report details impact of LEED

 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released the third and final installment of its LEED in Motion report series: Impacts and Innovation. The report details key impact areas and results of the thousands of projects that are utilizing the LEED green building rating system, as well as innovation highlights related to LEED and green building technologies.

The LEED in Motion report series, available exclusively to USGBC member organizations, provides a holistic snapshot of the LEED movement, equipping readers with the numbers and insight they need to build the case for sustainability.

“LEED in Motion: Impacts and Innovation highlights the revolutionary thinking that has been the catalyst for the transformation in the built environment we are witnessing worldwide,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “Even as LEED is in itself an innovation, it has and will continue to serve as a gateway to further advances in the movement to create healthier, high-performing buildings and vibrant, resilient communities.”

With a foreword written by Bridges to Prosperity Executive Director Avery Bang, who spoke at USGBC’s 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo Master Series in November, Impacts and Innovation plots a course for the future by examining current and possible positive impacts related to LEED buildings — from resource conservation to cost savings — and lauding industry innovations. The report looks at the impacts of LEED through the lens of both business and human health.

The report also features a number of highlights, including details on the top three credits pursued by LEED projects across different rating systems. It notes the spread of innovation, showcasing standout approaches to earning credits in the LEED Innovation credit category, along with interviews with LEED professionals and USGBC figures as well as LEED project highlights from Facebook, Bank of America, Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas, Transwestern and more.

Impacts and Innovation also features LEED project energy data, revealing that 450 LEED projects that reported data over a 12-month period experienced an energy use intensity (EUI) that was nearly 31 percent lower than the national median source EUI. Additionally, 404 LEED projects indicated an ENERGY STAR score of 85 in the same period, well above the level required for the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Top Performer” designation.