As we count down to our top 10 states for LEED in 2021 announcement, we are taking a look at the top 10 reasons to certify to LEED.

1. Reduced energy use and carbon emissions: A University of California–Berkeley study found that LEED-certified existing buildings contributed 50% fewer greenhouse gases (GHGs) than conventionally constructed buildings due to water consumption, 48% fewer GHGs due to solid waste and 5% fewer GHGs due to transportation.
2. Accountability: USGBC stands for accountability through the LEED third-party certification process. The LEED plaque stands for leadership and demonstrates that a building has been designed and built, and is operating, as intended. Being “built to LEED” or “LEED equivalency” doesn’t exist—there is no substitute for LEED certification.
3. Higher resale value and faster lease-up rates: A recent report from USGBC member Cushman and Wakefield analyzed LEED-certified buildings delivered between 2010 and 2020 and found that these properties were consistently more profitable than noncertified spaces in terms of rent (11% higher during the most recent five years) and reduced vacancy.
4. Lower utility costs: LEED buildings use, on average, 25% less energy than conventional buildings. In fact, the average Energy Star score of a LEED-certified building is 89.
5. Less waste: By 2030, LEED projects will have diverted more than 540 million tons of waste from landfills. For projects that want to dig deeper into waste reduction, the TRUE zero waste program is also available.
6. Improved employee retention: LEED-certified buildings can help companies attract talented employees. Plus, with strategies focused on thermal comfort and access to daylight, views and good indoor air quality, worker satisfaction in LEED-certified offices tends to be high, decreasing employee turnover. This is especially true among younger workers, who place a high value on working for employers that are green-minded and “walk the walk.”
7. Ability to meet ESG goals: LEED helps investors meet their ESG goals by providing them with a robust and globally recognized green building framework to measure and manage their real estate performance. The 2021 Cushman and Wakefield study found that the COVID-19 pandemic created an increase in tenant demand for spaces that met ESG goals, and LEED-certified assets have had lower vacancy rates than their conventional counterparts since the pandemic began. The 10-year time span of buildings covered in the study also suggested to the analysts that LEED spaces are more resilient overall during periods of market downturn or following a recession.
8. Tax benefits: Depending on where you are, LEED certification may qualify for tax breaks. USGBC has partnered with IncentiFind, which can help you find money for your LEED projects! In some cases, LEED buildings are located in special economic growth zones that can even mean paying little to nothing in state or local taxes.
9. Solid data on asset performance: LEED measures operating performance through the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system, which provides a road map for property managers, portfolio owners and service providers to verify the ongoing energy, water, carbon, waste and human experience performance of their buildings.
10. Knowing LEED works: More than 100,000 projects are using LEED to meet their goals, counting on its proven track record and third party verification. Be a part of the growing global green building community.

Dodge Data and Analytics recently released the 2021 World Green Building Trends Report, of which USGBC is a contributing partner. In addition to projecting growth in green building over the next several years, the report found that reducing embodied carbon is becoming a top priority within the industry.

Over the next 30 years, half of all greenhouse gas emissions from new buildings are projected to come from embodied carbon—which includes emissions from manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance and disposal of building materials. The green building industry is starting to focus more on this issue. In the 2021 report, respondents identified embodied carbon as one of their top priorities for the next five years.

The report showed that there is widespread understanding of the issue, with 82% of respondents aware of the concept of embodied carbon, and 34% actively tracking it in their projects. Of the respondents who are tracking, 22% said that they are actively seeking to reduce it, and 12% are not yet working to reduce it.

LEED certification is a major accomplishment. If you’ve certified a building, neighborhood or city, spread the word about your achievement! After all, every example of a successful, verified LEED space is an inspiration to others to put into practice the principles of sustainability that we believe in.

Why do developers and project managers seek LEED certification? Why don’t they just “build green” in the way they see fit, and avoid the verification process altogether?

These are questions we sometimes hear at USGBC—and the answer is that without third-party assessment, there can be no accountability. USGBC allows building professionals and occupants alike to have confidence that the spaces in which they live, learn, work and play truly meet the high standards of sustainability of our global community.

Putting our ideals into practice through measurable steps and strategies, and compiling the data to compare them with others, brings us closer to our targets for carbon reduction, human health and cost reduction.

The Center for Green Schools at USGBC has released a unique series of fact sheets about indoor air quality (IAQ), designed to help people without a technical background understand some of the more complicated details. While important public health measures are debated in schools across the country, indoor air quality measures offer a noncontroversial way to take concrete action to increase protection for everyone in school.

We’ve heard from teachers, parents, school board members and others about the confusing messages they’re getting, so we brought together dozens of experts to create simple, straightforward resources about the most pressing topics.

The series includes an overview, as well as four specific fact sheets on ventilation, HVAC filtration, in-room air cleaners and germicidal UV. More fact sheets are on their way and will be added to the series over the next month.

• Overview: Build a foundation by understanding your HVAC system, if you have one, and which IAQ strategies might work for your classrooms. What do we know about airborne transmission of COVID-19? How can we use a combination of strategies to get to a healthier environment?
• Ventilation: Get a better understanding of the interaction between ventilation and other strategies and how to use what you have to get healthier classrooms. Are windows really good enough for COVID-19 prevention? What’s the best use of CO2 data, if you have a monitor?
• HVAC filtration: Get the facts about how filters work and their actual effectiveness in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Aren’t viruses too small to be caught in filters? What if your HVAC system can’t handle a MERV 13 filter?
• In-room air cleaners: Sort out the noise about when to use an in-room air cleaner and how to choose one that works for your classrooms. Do they really work, or is it “pandemic theater”? What features does the air cleaner need to have to work for COVID-19 prevention?
• Germicidal UV (GUV, or UVGI): Understand the three most common types of UVGI systems and what to know about using them in schools. Are they safe to use? Is there any evidence that they work? What types of systems should you consider and when?

Share the fact sheets with your friends, neighbors, coworkers and clients so that everyone has a better grasp of how to protect teachers and students at school this year.

This article was previously published in the Orlando Sentinel on Oct. 16, 2021, as an op-ed titled “Make older buildings more resilient to cope with warming climate.” Read the original version.

There’s a misconception of what green buildings look like. Yes, they can be new projects that use recycled materials and run on renewable energy.

But then what happens to the 30- or 40-year-old office buildings? And what about integrating these buildings to the wider community and taking a more macro-level approach to sustainability?

Protecting our communities from the effects of climate change requires multiple strategies—resiliency planning, making existing buildings more efficient and building new spaces to green standards.

In Florida, the effects of a changing climate are real—rising sea levels, stronger hurricanes and hotter days. Therefore, it is critical to factor in infrastructure in plans to protect communities from such damage.