U.S. Green Building Council - Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

LEED began its development in 1994 founded and spearheaded by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) senior scientist Robert K. Watson who, as founding chairman of the LEED Steering Committee until 2006, led a broad-based consensus process which included non-profit organizations, government agencies, architects, engineers, developers, builders, product manufacturers and other industry leaders. Early LEED committee members also included USGBC co-founder Mike Italiano, architects Bill Reed and Sandy Mendler, builder Gerard Heiber and Myron Kibbe and engineer Richard Bourne. As interest in LEED grew, in 1996, engineers Tom Paladino and Lynn Barker co-chaired the newly formed LEED technical committee.

From 1994 to 2006, LEED grew from one standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of six interrelated standards covering all aspects of the development and construction process. LEED also has grown from six volunteers on one committee to more than 200 volunteers on nearly 20 committees and nearly 200 professional staff.

USGBC established benchmarks for the LEED Green Building Rating System in 2000. LEED is a framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. LEED rating systems are currently available for new construction, existing buildings, commercial interiors, core and shell, schools, retail and homes, and rating systems are in pilot or under development for neighborhood developments and health care. Certification is generally voluntary, but required or under consideration as a requirement for certain buildings in many U.S. localities.

Recently, USGBC updated their online reference guides to help promote eco-friendly building practices worldwide. This included an interactive web tool to explain the LEED Green Building Rating System and a web application equating the rating system with a nutrition label. This redesign was carried out by Unison Agency.

The National Building Museum presented the USGBC with its 2009 Honor Award (themed "Visionaries in Sustainability"), citing the organization's "exceptional achievement in establishing and integrating green building standards" in its LEED systems as one of the reasons for selection. The museum also awarded USGBC with its Henry C. Turner Prize in 2005 for its leadership and innovation in the construction industry, specifically for LEED. To date, it is the only organization to have received two awards from the Building Museum.

On February 2012, University of Michigan USGBC released a report on the impact that the climate has on building structures.