LEED as a Business Model of Sustainability Commitment
Keywords:
environment, energy, LEED certification, sustainability, USGBCAbstract
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) cer-
tification program has become a benchmark for sustainability. Yet most
buildings are not LEED certified. The goal of this research study is to as-
sess the LEED certification process as a business model of sustainability
for the building market and is based on selected case studies with
participatory action research. The case studies involve the LEED certi-
fication of 112 projects within the United States from 2004 to 2013 and
include ten platinum-level projects. The results of this study determined
the percentages and levels of projects which actually attained LEED cer-
tification. Seventy-seven of the 112 projects, or 69%, actually achieved
LEED certification. Twelve were certified, 32 achieved silver level, 23
reached gold level and another 10 realized platinum level certification.
The crucial success factors which facilitated attainment of LEED certifi-
cation included taking ownership of sustainability, prior LEED project
experience, additional training, incorporating LEED goals early, and
establishing financial stewardship. One opportunity for improvement
of LEED certification is for the rating systems to provide more realistic,
consensus-based sustainability goals
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