How Green is Your Building: A Look at Green Rating Programs
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These days, it seems that the world is awash in green marketing claims. The reason for it is clear: being environmentally conscious can mean big business for companies. Take homebuilding, for example. According to The Green Homeowner SmartMart Report released by McGraw-Hill Construction in October, the market for green homes is expected to increase from $2 billion to $20 billion over the next five years.
But saying you’re green and actually being green can be two very different things. That’s why several organizations offer assessment rating programs that certify how green—or environmentally friendly—a building really is.
One of the biggest and most widely recognized certification programs in the United States is the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Buildings certified through the LEED rating system receive points based on satisfying criteria in different categories, including water efficiency, sustainable sites, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor air quality, and innovation in design. Depending on the points the building receives, it will be rated as either certified, silver, gold or platinum.
The LEED program is available for all types of buildings, including both new construction and existing buildings. And in November, the USGBC launched LEED for Homes to provide a rating system specifically designed for homes.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) will also be offering its own voluntary certification program. Called the National Green Building Program, it will be based on the National Green Building Standard, which is being developed by NAHB and the International Code Council. According to NAHB, the program will link state and local voluntary green building programs with a national online scoring tool for builders and verifiers and will provide a registry of green homes and green builders as well as educational resources.
Another rating program is Green Globes. Originally developed in Canada, it began being offered for use by commercial builders in the United States by the Green Building Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings in the United States. Green Globes is an online tool that includes an assessment protocol, rating system and guide for integrating environmentally friendly design into commercial structures.
Even home remodelers will be getting their own rating program. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) recently announced it would be offering its Green Remodeling certification to help remodeling contractors market themselves as experienced with using green remodeling principles, practices and products.
With so many certification programs being offered, it’s easy to become confused, says Dru Meadows, founder of strategic environmental consulting firm theGreenTeam and chair of the ASTM subcommittee on sustainability, E06.71. “At theGreenTeam we often get questions about the different rating programs that are out there and which ones we should use and what’s applicable under certain circumstances.”
She’s hoping that a new standard the committee has under development will help answer some of those questions.
“At some level, what is the least you have to do to be considered better, greener, more sustainable, more socially responsible? There must be a minimum,” Meadows points out. The committee’s proposed new standard, Minimum Attributes of a Building that Promotes Sustainability, which is expected to be published in late 2008 or early 2009, will not only establish that minimum, but also will be consistent with the U.S. government’s expectations for high-performance buildings.
Meadows says the Green Building Initiative also has expressed interest in using the upcoming Minimum Attributes standard to augment its Green Globes environmental assessment and rating tool by adopting it as a prerequisite for the rating program.
“So it could be a stand alone or it could work with a green building rating program,” Meadows explains. “The challenge for a lot of buildings right now is that they’re too small—either square footage or the budget or both—to warrant the fees associated with the documentation for certifying through a rating program. But they still want some kind of guidance, some kind of standards…. One of the greatest barriers is the price tag associated with the application and documentation. If the approach is more affordable and accessible, more building owners could do it. A minimum attributes standard will address this need.”
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