BOSTON (November 18, 2008)– LEED 2009, the long-awaited update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification program, has passed member ballot, and will be introduced in 2009 as the next major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings. It includes a series of major technical advancements focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing other environmental and human health outcomes.
BOSTON (November 18, 2008)– LEED 2009, the long-awaited
update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification
program, has passed member ballot, and will be introduced in 2009 as the next
major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial
buildings.  It includes a series of major technical advancements
focused on improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and
addressing other environmental and human health outcomes.
LEED 2009 will also incorporate highly anticipated regional credits, extra
points that have been identified as priorities within a project’s given
environmental zone. LEED has also undergone a scientifically grounded
re-weighting of credits, changing allocation of points among LEED credits to
reflect climate change and energy efficiency as urgent priorities. This
will be one of the most significant changes to the rating system, and will
increase the importance of green building as a means of contributing immediate
and measurable solutions toward energy independence, climate change mitigation,
and other global priorities.
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LEED 2009 incorporates eight years worth of market and user feedback in the
form of precedent-setting Credit Interpretation Rulings, which will ensure
clarity for project teams. Coupled with a credit alignment structure designed
to create a more elegant and harmonized rating system, LEED 2009 will reset the
bar for the certification of high-performance green buildings.
Process innovation in how new technical advancements are incorporated into LEED
will also be introduced alongside LEED 2009, including a “pilot process†for
individual credits that will allow major new technical developments to be
flexibly trialed, evaluated, and incorporated into LEED.Â
“The conclusion of the balloting process marks the culmination of tireless work
done by representatives from all corners of the building industry,†said
Brendan Owens, Vice President, LEED Technical Development, U.S. Green Building
Council’s. “We have the deepest gratitude for our volunteer leaders, and
for their bold steps towards resetting the bar for green building leadership
and challenges the industry to move faster and reach further.â€
The first public comment period for LEED 2009 opened in May 2008, followed by a
second in late August. USGBC had received nearly 7,000 comments from members
and stakeholders at the conclusion of the second public comment period on
September 2. The final step is the consensus development process for LEED
2009 was to be balloted for a pass/fail vote among USGBC’s 18,000 member
organizations. LEED 2009 successfully passed member ballot on November 14.
Detailed information about specific proposed technical changes to the rating
system can be found in the background documents that accompany the public comment
forms on USGBC’s Web site.
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About USGBC
The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose
vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. Its membership
includes corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and other
nonprofit organizations. Since USGBC’s founding in 1993, the Council has grown
to more than 16,700 member companies and organizations, a comprehensive family
of LEED® green building certification systems, an expansive educational
offering, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.org), and a network
of 79 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups. For more
information, visit www.usgbc.org.
About LEED®
The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building
certification system is a feature-oriented certification program that awards
buildings points for satisfying specified green building criteria. The
six major environmental categories of review include:Â Sustainable Sites,
Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor
Environmental Quality and Innovation and Design. Certified, Silver, Gold,
and Platinum levels of LEED green building certification are awarded based on
the total number of points earned within each LEED category. LEED can be
applied to all building types including new construction, commercial interiors,
core & shell developments, existing buildings, homes, neighborhood
developments, schools and retail facilities. LEED for Healthcare is
currently under development and is expected to be released in early 2008.Â
Incentives for LEED are available at the state and local level and LEED has
also been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments,
and interested private companies. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/LEED.  Â