GSA May Abandon LEED Endorsement

Author name:  Paula Melton and Tristan Roberts Blog Category:  Mister Tristan Talks LEED On Our Radar Rather than releasing its final report on LEED and other rating systems, the agency posts recommendations and asks for more feedback. A victory for lobbyists? It should be easier to pitch the industry status quo to individual federal agencies that don't specialize in buildings. Want to have a say in whether federal agencies keep using LEED? Here’s your chance. Following up on a 2012 report , the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) is requesting public comments on its long-awaited recommendations about green building certification systems . Here’s our quick-and-dirty summary of the committee’s findings. You have sixty days to get back to GSA. Green building ratings systems = good The first finding is that green building rating systems are a good thing. They “maintain robust, integrated frameworks of performance metrics, standards and conformity assurance.” And using them saves taxpayers money “by eliminating the cost to Government of developing its own standards.” Agencies should pick what works for them The GSA isn’t going to tell you whether LEED, Green Globes, or the Living Building Challenge is the best rating system for each agency’s mission. But they want agencies to keep these things in mind: There should be specific guidance about which credits to pursue (we might call this the “ bike rack clause”?). For efficiency, agencies should use one rating system across their portfolios. Each agency’s guidance should make it possible for the same rating system to be used for all building types. read more