Have you ever heard the term LEED? If you aren’t in the construction or real estate businesses, you may not have. LEED is a program that measures sustainability in construction and real estate. It isn’t exactly new, as it’s been around since 2000, but it’s growing steadily. Read on to find out more.
What Is LEED?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, is a system to rate the ‘greenness’ of buildings. Nearly 80,000 projects have participated in the program, which spans 162 countries. LEED is considered the best model for sustainable construction. The system was introduced in 2000, and has been growing at a slow but steady rate ever since. LEED falls under the realm of the USGBC. The USGBC does not actually endorse or certify services, companies, or products, nor do they track data related to products. LEED focuses on the environmental impact of buildings, based on several factors. They award credits based on specific performance factors, which is determined by project teams.
History
LEED started as a way for new construction to measure sustainability, and to promote sustainability and energy efficient practices. However, it was soon expanded, and now there are other ways for businesses to become LEED certified. Our services, which deal with recycling old materials, falls under this category.
Growth
Between 2000 and 2006, USGBC registered an average of 60 projects a month. By the end of 2006, about 5,000 projects had been included. By 2008, this number had grown rapidly, and included about 18,400 projects. By the start of 2009, there were about 700 projects being registered every month, including about 2,200 commercial projects. As the green movement began to grow, the numbers also rose. During this period, there were about 75,000 professionals registered in the project. Support for the movement continued to grow, persisting even through the real estate crash and the subsequent recovery of the market.
Community Impact
LEED, as mentioned above, now encompasses thousands of projects, including sports arenas, museums, concert halls, and theaters. One shining example of LEED construction is Nationals Park in Washington D.C. This is wonderful to see, because these large buildings tend to use a lot of energy and resources, and produce quite a bit of waste. They are also very visible, so their environmentally-friendly stances also promote green values and practices in their local communities.
LEED Options
Did you know that choosing to recycle old roofing materials can help you gain LEED credits? Choosing sustainable, eco-friendly options for disposal is one small step in construction or remodeling processes, but it’s a key part of a growing movement, and is a wonderful way to keep your materials out of harmful landfills.
Do you want to find out more about how Disposal Alternatives can help your business earn LEED credits? Call us!