Introduction to LEED

If you work with commercial or residential buildings in any capacity,  familiarity with the LEED system is essential for success.  Architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials all use LEED as their guide for green building and sustainable operation.   In fact, many states and cities require new buildings to be LEED certified, and there are LEED initiatives in federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Agriculture, Energy, and State.   LEED is so prevalent, many companies hire only LEED Accredited Professionals!

LEED Accredited Professionals are recognized the world over as leading experts in green building.  This page will give you a quick introduction to the LEED system and its origins.

• Learn about the Process of Becoming a LEED Accredited Professional
• Already A LEED AP?  Learn how the ne LEED v3 system affects you!

LEED - The Recognized Standard for Green Buildings

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a collection of standards for measuring the sustainability of buildings.   It is developed and promoted by the U.S. Green Building Council.  (USGBC)

LEED utilizes a point rating systems.  The more points a building achieves, the more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable it is considered to be.  Points take into account energy efficiency, water conservation, materials, indoor air quality and much more.  LEED operates on a 100 point scale with four tiers - Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

LEED rated buildings are everywhere!  LEED has grown to encompass more than 14,000 projects in over 40 countries covering over 1.06 billion square feet of development area.  Many cities and states require government and new buildings to be LEED silver or higher.   In fact, the "Birds Nest" arena seen in China's Summer Olympics was certified LEED Gold, the largest LEED certified structure to date!  Now, focus is rapidly turning to  upgrading and retrofitting existing buildings to make them LEED compliant - making LEED accredited professionals more in demand than ever before.

Learn more about why green buildings have become a critical national priority.

What does LEED Measure?

USGBC and GBCI: How They Work Together

The US Green Building Council (USGBC) has developed and refined LEED systems and standards since 1988.  LEED's emergence as the de facto standard for green building has grown from the USGBC's operation as a non-profit, industry-led, transparent and consensus driven organization.  The USGBC is not a government entity, but rather an organization delivering standards governed by it's members.   LEED is an open and transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by the LEED committees are publicly reviewed for approval by the Environmental Institute of America and more than 10,000 other membership organizations that make up the USGBC. The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) is a closely affiliated non-profit organization that manages the certification of buildings and accreditation of individuals.  GBCI adminsters the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP exams.

• Learn about the Process of Becoming a LEED Accredited Professional
• Already A LEED AP?  Learn how the ne LEED v3 system affects you!