Local LEEDers

Sustainably harvested wood. Solar paneling. Green energy. These and many other criteria are rapidly becoming the standard of the building industry thanks to an innovative program called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

MBI Media The carport in L.A. Pierce College's parking lot doubles as a photovoltaic farm, reducing the college's draw on municipal sources of electricity.

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and the city of Los Angeles are just two of 6,000 public, private, and nonprofit participants in the LEED program.

LEED was launched by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000 to define green building by establishing a common standard of measurement, promote whole building design practices, and transform the building market.

'LEED looks at five areas of the whole building process,' said Taryn Holowka, communications manager for the USGBC, 'sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, not using harmful substances, and indoor environmental quality.'

The program gives architects and developers flexibility in choosing energy efficient materials and designs that meet their needs. 'Within each of five areas you can earn a certain number of points, and the level of points determines the level of certification,' said Holowka.

The use of natural heating and ventilation, renewable energy, and recycled water are ways to earn points towards sustainable design on the LEED checklist. LACCD is practicing another green building technique, adaptive reuse, in the construction of its satellite campus in the historic Van de Kamp bakery in northeast Los Angeles. The project will earn points for using an existing building and for employing high efficiency energy management systems. Larry Eisenberg, executive director for facilities, planning, and development of the LACCD, described the innovative cooling system planned for the building: 'It's a thermal energy storage concept. We run a chiller at nighttime to create ice. During the day, we'll blow a fan over the ice, and it creates the cooling capacity you need to cool the building.'

Another LACCD building will use microturbines, a more efficient way to generate electricity, to provide on-site electricity. The excess heat will be used to warm the swimming pool.

Buildings can meet the minimum requirements for LEED certification or earn enough sustainability points to receive the LEED Silver or LEED Gold certification, representing increasing degrees of envir

onmental efficiency. More ambitious projects, such as the Lakeview Terrace Library, built in partnership with the city of Los Angeles, can excel in all categories and earn the coveted LEED Platinum certification from the USGBC.

The environmental benefits of standards for sustainability in the building and development industry are enormous. According to the USGBC, buildings account for 36 percent of energy consumption, 65 percent of electricity consumption, 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and 30 percent of raw material use in the U.S.

'Not only does it make environmental sense, but also it makes economic sense,' said Holowka. 'You see your energy bills 30 percent lower and your employee absenteeism down. Worker happiness and productivity increase [in green buildings].'

LEED has been a stunning success in the building industry, revolutionizing it by setting new standards for design. 'When government agencies and school districts started requiring their buildings to be LEED certifiable,' said Ryan Ihly, principal at the office of sustainable architecture, a small firm that has capitalized on the marketability of sustainable design, 'then a bunch of manufacturers started designing materials that get you LEED points.'

'We're changing the marketplace in the United States,' said LACCD's Eisenberg. 'Because of our purchasing volume, we're able to command the attention of these major firms.'

Holowka concurred. According to her, big names such as GAP, Starbucks, and Disney signing up for LEED certification has increased the program's visibility.

For some developers, LEED brings the type of positive publicity that sells buildings and homes. 'It's great marketing,' explained Ihly. 'It shows that a company cares about the environment and the occupants of its buildings.'

Nate Springer is a community organizer with Amigos de los Rios.