Standards to promote sustainable design influence landscape design and installation.
The LEED 2012 third public comment period was open March 1-20, which marks the start of the LEED 2012 program delivery process. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this third draft of the rating system is focused on providing a globally applicable, simple-to-use, technically advanced system. LEED 2012 will be balloted in June, after a ballot opt-in period from April 2 to May 1, and launch in November.
LEED is intended to promote sustainable building, design, construction and operations practices.
“LEED 2012 is the next version of the LEED program and will include the step in the continuous improvement process and the on‐going development cycle of the LEED program, including the Building Design + Construction, Interior Design + Construction, Operations + Maintenance, Neighborhood Development, and LEED for Homes rating systems,” according to the USGBC.
But the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) says it doesn’t go far enough in driving sustainability.
“While the FSC recognizes and appreciates the substantial effort the staff and technical advisors at the USGBC invested in addressing weaknesses in earlier drafts, significant changes are still required for LEED 2012 to drive market demand for products from responsibly managed forests,” according to an FSC press release.
The FSC, which promotes management of the world’s forests, says wood is among the most environmentally friendly building materials, which LEED should recognize and reward. FSC’s forest certification system is recognized by LEED.
Below, USBC’s Scot Horst explains the significance of the LEED 2012 third public comment period.
