USGBC Unveils Vision for LEED Positive

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced its LEED Positive vision statement and LEED development roadmap that will “lay the foundation for a future of LEED that is regenerative.”

LEED Positive will encourage development that allows buildings to become a vehicle for environmental restoration and repair, according to a USGBC news release. The vision consists of several parts that will guide development of the LEED rating system, including:

·         Proposed LEED Positive targets for energy and carbon reduction that will require new construction to go further and push existing buildings with high energy usage to substantially increase their efficiency efforts

·         Define LEED Positive targets for other LEED credit categories that make up the holistic LEED rating system

·         Continue investment in LEED v4.1 to accelerate the implementation and adoption of LEED for both new and existing buildings

·         Support category level performance certificates through the Arc platform to provide existing buildings with a pathway to LEED certification

“LEED must evolve qualitatively and quantitatively,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “Qualitatively, it must transition from strategies that reduce the harm done by buildings to strategies that cause no harm and are regenerative by design, ensuring our buildings are actually giving back more than they take. And quantitatively it will need to accelerate and increase its impact ten to a hundred-fold by leveraging our Arc performance platform.”

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