"It was mostly out of frustration," McKellar says, of why he started the blog. Since becoming LEED accredited, McKellar says he found the United States Green Building Council's LEED to be very protective of its information and educational resources. His blog's goal is to provide a free, simple, and timely resource for other sustainability professionals who need to work through practical documentation issues. He's no USGBC basher though. McKellar is helping its South Carolina chapter establish a local branch in the Charleston area.
McKellar, who has a BA in architecture, also says that the amount of information available to architects on how to design sustainably dwarfs the amount of information on how to document and claim these credits for LEED. Most bluntly, this means answering questions (as posed in his first entry) like: "Sure, I know I need to know the full-time equivalent occupancy for my restaurant, and also the peak loading, but how the hell do I get those numbers?"
So far, Real Life LEED has reviewed sustainability and building industry Web sites, examined the pros and cons of certifying buildings in a complex together or separately, and sorted through the changes to the upcoming LEED 2009 revision, which will end its public comment period on June 22.
Perhaps the most significant changes to the next iteration of LEED, McKellar says, will be that the percentage of LEED points assigned to energy use will increase from 25 percent to 35 percent, and the amount assigned to transportation will increase from 7 percent to 17 percent. All these changes are based on an Environmental Protection Agency metric that measures the reduction of environmental impacts. McKellar expects that this change will make LEED more responsive to claims that it doesn’t deal with performance-based energy metrics enough. . .and that it'll likely keep his blog busy too.
Comments (10)
I got my lead certification in March, 2009. Now the rules have changed. How does this impact my accredidation?
Posted by Chris | April 2, 2010 7:26 PM
Posted on April 2, 2010 19:26
I lost my job in February(alongside of 1/10 of Americans)and I decided to take this "time-off" to continue my education. I just completed a class through LEEDTeacher in June and I have had 3 job offers since then! I could not have passed my LEED for Homes exam without it! If you register for a seminar you will be given all the up-to-date materials you need to pass any LEED exam! In person is somuch better than those electronic or online tutorials b/c you have the opportunity to ask all the questions you have! If you want to join the growing green revolution, keep reading Joel's blog (it is AWESOME!) and check out: Leedteacher.com! They even offer a discount if you are unemployed!
Posted by Emily | August 13, 2009 4:41 PM
Posted on August 13, 2009 16:41
This is a good article, and LEED can be very frustrating. I've worked on several LEED projects and understand the difficulties with documenting and finding the appropriate methods for calculating certain credits. I think the USGBC is making progress with each update to the LEED rating system but it will take a long time to perfect it.
For Green Building Education and Consulting services, www.cleanedison.com
Posted by Lee Beckman LEED AP | June 19, 2009 10:27 AM
Posted on June 19, 2009 10:27
http://www.message_bogetrelcna.com/
Posted by nick_chidom | April 9, 2009 11:38 PM
Posted on April 9, 2009 23:38
I agree. The complexity does make it hard but there is site called www.cleanedison.com that helps out tremendously with the certifications. Wish more and more companies would go GREEN.
Posted by Dave Milman | February 28, 2009 9:55 PM
Posted on February 28, 2009 21:55
http://www.message_ercnael.com/
Posted by nick_c4tlir | December 28, 2008 2:36 AM
Posted on December 28, 2008 02:36
My agency (DHS) is considering LEED Silver for all new building designs. But, it's my understanding that management does not want to expend the money to have the buildings certified at the close of construction. Can someone inform me of the repercussions, if any, if the buildings, being designed to a LEED Silver rating level, are not certified upon completion?
Posted by Frank Bereitschaft | December 12, 2008 2:17 PM
Posted on December 12, 2008 14:17
Thanks for the links. Personally, not being an architect but being interested in LEED in a general sense, I hope that the increasing complexity of getting certified doesn't discourage people from going for it. It's obviously gained a lot of popularity and it's a pretty comprehensive standard; it'd be a shame if it got too complicated for its own good.
Posted by Taeho | October 7, 2008 4:36 PM
Posted on October 7, 2008 16:36
Great information. Thank you.
Posted by michael soraci | June 2, 2008 12:43 PM
Posted on June 2, 2008 12:43
Thanks Zach this is a very good article.
LEED certification and how it works and dovetails with other efforts to "measure" positive environmental change in the realm of built environment is one of the most relevant & critical debates to our future at this time.
I loved the "REAL LIFE LEED" blog!
Posted by Terry L. Walker, AIA | May 30, 2008 1:41 PM
Posted on May 30, 2008 13:41