LEEDing on Climage Change

Proposal for: The Chair and members of the LEED Steering Committee

Over the last 20 years LEED has become the dominant U.S. green building design standard and is the most widely accepted and influential green building standard globally. This is an extraordinary achievement and has made for healthier, more productive and greener homes, workplaces, schools, hospitals and public spaces for tens of millions of families, students and workers.

The purpose of this proposal is to provide strong support for LEED and USGBC in strengthening its leadership around climate issues – the single dominant issue that threatens to collapse human and environmental ecosystems.

There is now overwhelming scientific consensus on the severity of human driven climate change, with increasing scientific calls for more aggressive responses to limit climate change. For example, a 2017 Scientific American article entitled The Window Is Closing to Avoid Dangerous Global Warming warns that “Deadly climate change could threaten most of the world's human population by the end of this century without efforts well beyond those captured in the Paris Agreement.” The Scientific American article quotes from a 2017 report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that states that; "We are quickly running out of time to prevent hugely dangerous, expensive, and perhaps unmanageable climate change."

Buildings represent 40% of energy use and almost half of the emissions changing our climate. Reducing the GHG footprints of buildings – both new and existing – is now among the most economically appealing of all options. And the cost of renewable energy, energy-efficiency and storage technologies continues to drop steeply (e.g. solar PV, wind, LEDs, batteries, ground-source heat pumps, etc). Combined with new financing mechanisms (e.g. PPAs), this now makes low-carbon buildings the same price or only marginally more expensive upfront than conventional buildings, and generally cheaper when considered on a lifecycle basis. LEED should seize on the opportunity provided by these recent steep drops in renewable energy costs.

Although many LEED projects go well beyond minimum requirements, LEED’s existing structure allows its highest levels - gold and platinum - to be only marginally better on climate change. Given the science and USGBC’s mission, LEED can and should be used to send a much clearer, stronger message on climate change to the market. The recommendations below are the culmination of a dialogue between the undersigned and building industry stakeholders, commercial and city property owners, USGBC staff, climate scientists, USGBC committee members and other interested parties. The views below represent the opinions of the undersigned and it is our belief that these changes will strengthen LEED and enable and motivate the building industry to move faster and further on climate change. We have developed (through an iterative consensus process) a set of recommendations for changes to LEED’s V4.1 process that we believe will strengthen LEED and its global leadership position on the critical issue of climate change.

While we recognize that the weighting around climate change has increased in each successive iteration of LEED, it needs greater weight given the acceleration of climatic change and its severe impacts on human health globally, particularly on the world’s poor. Because LEED is the globally recognized standard for green buildings, LEED must be a strong leader on climate change. The recommendations below are offered to support all efforts by USGBC to recognize and motivate the market to respond to the urgent need for aggressive climate action. We stand ready to assist USGBC in its efforts to tackle the greatest threat we face as a species.

Recommendation:

Through the Technical Committees, LEED V4.1 should be revised to require meaningful minimum carbon reductions for each level of LEED certification, both for new LEED buildings and for LEED rating renewals.

LEED can and must step up. Specifically, LEED V4.1 should

Establish minimum CO2 reduction for each level of LEED:
Certified: 20%/40% minimum CO2 reduction
Silver 40%/60% minimum CO2 reduction
Gold 60%/80% minimum CO2 reduction
Platinum 80%/100% minimum CO2 reduction (i.e. the reduction level called for by the IPCC)

The above provides two numbers for each level. The first is for immediate adoption in LEED V4.1. LEED. V4.1 also needs to include the second, higher minimum performance to phase-in in 2 or 3 years so that everyone knows what the schedule is and can plan accordingly. (Baseline is the applicable building code requirement eg ASHRAE 90.1.) Within a few years after V4.1 adopts, small renewable energy PPAs, community solar and similar low cost renewable energy purchasing structures will be even more widespread and the cost of getting to net zero carbon buildings will drop to close to or less than zero for most of the country, so adoption of deeper minimum CO2 reductions will continue to become more cost effective. Getting LEEDs greenest buildings to a minimum of net zero carbon will allow LEED to move from just less damaging to affirmatively contributing to global warming reduction.

Operational Carbon: C02 counted should immediately include energy from building operations, including from energy and water consumption. V4.1 should also - either immediately or within a set timeframe of maximum of 2 or 3 years, include CO2 from transportation and embodied CO2. In all cases calculations should be based on source energy (eg transportation costs included) and should preference or require measured rather than modeled data. Data for performance should be open, available and transparent – the opposite of black box.

Embodied CO2: Because embodied CO2 in materials can represent up to a decade of CO2 from operations of very efficient buildings, the V4.1 upgrade needs to include embodied CO2, preferably building-wide but at least for concrete and steel (and any other big embodied C02 sources). Canada recently launched the Zero Carbon Building Standard that includes a requirement for projects to calculate and report their embodied carbon. LEED should immediately do the same. For example, the CarbonStar concrete CO2 disclosure standard being developed could provide an easy and transparent way to specify and measure pounds CO2/cubic yard (or cubic meter) of concrete. USGBC should support development and adoption of this kind of industry CO2 disclosure standard for building products with significant embodied CO2.

Correct current REC loophole

Because current profligate use of RECs commonly undermines CO2 reductions (and hurts LEED’s credibility), RECs should not count in LEED or toward CO2 reduction requirements unless extremely restricted, eg only if they meet all 3 of the following conditions:

RECS are from projects under development or not yet started at time RECs are purchased
RECS are for a minimum 10 years purchase agreement and
RECs demonstrably enable new renewable energy project financing and build-out

The above recommendations are the culmination of an extensive dialogue among a broad range of building industry stakeholders, all of whom have a deep interest in LEED and in promoting expansion of a global green building standard that leads on climate change. Endorsers of this proposal include National Grid, HOK, Amalgamated Bank and Inventiv Capital, and NGOs such as Climate Solutions, Carbon Leadership Forum and Institute for Market Transformation, as well as individuals. These individuals are listed below, and these recommendations represent the opinions of the above institutions and the undersigned.

Signatories, in order of signing (as of 8/24/18):

Greg Kats, LEED AP, President, Capital E
Kevin Hydes, former USGBC Board Chair, LEED Fellow, CEO & Founder, Integral Group
Rob Watson, Founding LEED Chair, LEED Fellow, Chief Science Officer, EcoHub
Eric Corey Freed, LEED Fellow, Morrison Hershfield
Denis Hayes, President, Bullitt Foundation
Gunnar Hubbard, Principal and Sustainability Practice Leader, Thornton Tomasetti
Marcus Sheffer, LEED Fellow, 7group
Anthony Bernheim, USGBC NCC Board, LEED Fellow, FAIA
Max Zahniser, LEED Fellow
Ann Edminster, LEED AP, principal/founder Design AVEnues LLC
Doug Sacra, AIA, LEED AP, President, Maple Hill Architects
Mark Lucuik, LEED Fellow, Director of Sustainability & Principal, Morrison Hershfield
David Gottfried, founder of US Green Build Council, founder of the World Green Building Council, CEO of Gottfried Institute
Bob Berkebile, FAIA, Principal Emeritus, BNIM
Jamie McKay, LEED Fellow, Principal, Morrison Hershfield
Stevan Vinci, LEED Fellow, Building Science Consultant, Morrison Hershfield
Joe Aamidor, Aamidor Consulting
Sandy Wiggins, former USGBC Board Chair, Consilience
Jenny Carney, LEED Fellow, Vice President, WSP
Josh Radoff, LEED AP, Sr Vice President, Built Ecology, WSP
Brian Dunbar LEED Fellow, Executive Director, Institute for the Built Environment
Brandon Tinianov, Chair of the USGBC Advisory Council and USGBC Board member, VP Viewglass
Alex Wilson, LEED AP, Founder BuildingGreen, Inc.
Stephen Ashkin, former member BOD USGBC, President of The Ashkin Group
Bill Updike, Principal, Integral Group, frmr Chief, Green Building & Climate, Washington, DC
Chris Schaffner, LEED Fellow, Chair LEED Advisory Committee, President, The Green Engineer
Karen Weigert, USGBC Advisory Council member, Snr Fellow, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, former Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Chicago
Mary Ann Lazarus FAIA LEED AP BD&C, Consultant, Cameron MacAllister Group
Betsy del Monte FAIA LEED AP BD&C, Consultant, Cameron MacAllister Group
Mike Davis, FAIA, LEED AP, President, Bergmeyer
Angela Brooks, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C, Brooks + Scarpa
Rand Ekman, AIA, LEED Fellow, SVP and Chief Sustainability Officer, HKS
Paula McEvoy, FAIA, LEED Fellow, Associate Principal, Sustainable Design Director, Perkins+Will
Marsha Maytum, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal, Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
William Leddy, FAIA, LEED AP, Principal¸ Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
Mark Palmer, LEED Fellow, San Francisco Department of the Environment
Kevin Stack, MS, BaDT, LEED Fellow, LEED Faculty, Northern Forest
Dennis Murphy, Founder, USGBC California and EndtoEnd Strategies
Mark Chambers, LEED AP, Sustainability Director, New York City
Robert Socolow, professor, Princeton University
Will Wynn, former two term mayor Austin
Angela Brooks, FAIA, ENV SP, LEED ap bd+c, BROOKS + SCARPA
Raphael Sperry, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Sustainability Consultant, Arup
Emma Stewart, LEED AP, former member USGBC BOD
Chris Forney, LEED Fellow, Principal, Brightworks Sustainability
Anne Hicks Harney, FAIA, LEED Fellow, Founding Principal – Long Green Specs
Pauline Souza, LEED Fellow, Sustainability Director, Partner, WRNS Studio
Heather Jauregui, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Associate, Perkins Eastman
Robert Phinney, AIA, LEED FELLOW, ENV SP Associate PrincipalPage Southerland Page, Inc.
Jacob Werner, AIA, LEED BD+C, Director of Sustainable Design | Associate Wilson Architects Inc
Gwen Fuertes LEED AP BD+C Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects
Heather Jauregui, LEED AP BD+C, O+M, Associate, Perkins Eastman
Kristen Dotson LEED AP BD+C, The Miller Hull Partnership
Tommy Wells, Director, Department of Energy and Environment, Washington, DC
Katherine Bubriski, AIA LEED AP BD+C, Director of Sustainability & Building Performance Arrowstreet
Mike Manzi, LEED AP BD+C, Associate Principal, Bora Architects
Justin Glover, AIA, LEED AP [BD+C] Associate Principal STUDIOSarchitecture
Joshua R Gassman, LEED AP BD+C, Senior Associate, Lord Aeck Sargent
Rob Winstead LEED AP BD+C, Principal VMDO Architects
Shirine Boulos-Anderson, AIA, LEED AP, Principal and Sustainability Design Leader, Ellenzweig
Carolyn Day, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, past USGBC Massachusetts Board, Associate, Ellenzweig
Chris Forney, LEED Fellow, Principal, Brightworks Sustainability
Jeff Frost, LEED AP BD+C, Brightworks Sustainability
Jim Nicolow FAIA, LEED Fellow, Principal, Lord Aeck Sargent
Michelle Amt, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Sustainability, VMDO Architects
Kathy Shaloo Berg AIA, LEED AP BD+C ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Joseph Collins FAIA, LEED AP BD +C ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Ted Hyman FAIA, LEED AP BD+C ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Allyn Stellmacher AIA, LEED AP ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Todd Stine AIA, LEED AP BD+C, DBIA ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Tim Williams AIA, LEED AP BD+C ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Jason Westrope, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, Development Management Associates, LLC
Joyce Coffee, LEED AP, President, Climate Resilience Consulting
Stephen Endy, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Mahlum Architects
Jan Carl Willemse AIA, LEED AP ZGF ARCHITECTS LLP
Douglas Farr FAIA, LEED AP, Founding Principal, Farr Associates
Lori Cowles, LEED AP, AIA, CEFP, Principal HMFH
Tina Stanislaski, LEED AP, AIA, Principal HMFH
Pip Lewis, LEED AP, AIA, Principal HMFH
Laura Wernick, FAIA, LEED AP, REFP, Principal HMFH
Julia Nugent, LEED AP, AIA, Principal HMFH
Robert Williams, LEED AP, AIA, Senior Associate HMFH
Chin Lin, LEED AP, AIA, Senior Associate HMFH
Deborah Collins, LEED GA, AIA, Senior Associate HMFH
Matt Larue, LEED GA, AIA, Senior Associate HMFH
Susan Heinking AIA, LEED Fellow, Vice President of High Performance, Pepper Construction Company
Chris Dillion, LEED AP President, Campbell Coyle Real Estate
Allen Schaffer AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Sustainable Design, Moody Nolan
William Sturm, AIA, LAP, CPHC, Principal, Serena Sturm Architects, Ltd.
Alice Sung, AIA, LEED AP, BD+C, ISSP-SA, Principal, Greenbank Associates
David Kaneda PE, FAIA, LEED Fellow, Eur Ing, Managing Principal, Integral Group
Matt Macko, LEED AP, Founding & Managing Member, stok
Claudia Cleaver LEED AP, Principal, Morse Cleaver Architects
Sharon Refvem, LEED Fellow, Director, Sustainability Resource Group, Hawley Peterson Snyder
Bill Reed, AIA, founding Board member, USGBC, CEO Regenesis
Bridget Brewer, LEED AP, Principal, Brewer Studio Architects
Myer Harrell, LEED AP BD+C, Homes, Director of Sustainability, Weber Thompson Architects
Jeffrey Blaevoet, LEED AP, PE, CEng, Director of Innovation, Guttman & Blaevoet
Kent Peterson, LEED AP, PE, FASHRAE, Principal, P2S Inc.
Mark Goodman, LEED AP, JD, Principal, Law Office of Mark Goodman
Jamie Qualk, LEED AP, CxATate Walker, AIA LEED Fellow, Director of Sustainability, OPN Architects
Kjell Anderson, LEED AP BD+C, Director of Sustainable Design, LMN Architects
Brad Benke, LEED AP BD+C, LMN Architects
Chris Patterson, LEED AP, LMN Architects
Ralph DiNola, LEED Fellow, CEO, New Buildings Institute
Kelly Roberts, LEED AP, BD+C, Principal, Walter P Moore
Jean Carroon, FAIA, LEED Fellow, Principal Goody Clancy
Kate Simonen, AIA LEED AP, SE, Carbon Leadership Forum Director, University of Washington
Bruce King, PE, Director, Ecological Buildings Network
Joseph Connell, Executive Director, Building Materials Reuse Association
David Johnson, AIA, Principal, SERA
Jeremy Shiman, Green Associate, Designer, WRNS Studio
Amy Hattan, LEED Green Associate, VP Corporate Sustainability, Thornton Tomasetti
Stacey Smedley, LEED BD+C, LFA, Director of sustainability, Skanska
Larry Strain, LEED AP, FAIA, Principal, Siegel & Strain Architects
Michelle Moore, CEO, Groundswell; former SVP, U.S. Green Building Council
Benjamin Galuza, LEED AP, Principal, Integral Group
Marge Anderson, Executive Vice President, Seventhwave
Keith Mestrich, President, Amalgamated Bank
Paulus Ingram, Managing Partner, Inventiv Capital
Donald Simon, co-founder USGBC-NCC, co-founder Build It Green, Partner at Wendel Rosen Black & Dean, LLP
Andrew McAllister, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Michael McAteer, National Grid, Director Strategic Business, Policy and Evaluation
Cliff Majersik, Executive Director, Institute for Market Transformation
Phil Angelides, President, Riverview Capital Investments, California State Treasurer (1999-2007)
Eileen Quigley, Living Future Accredited, Sustainability Manager, Natural Resources Defense Council
Jay Gould, CEO, Interface
Julie Hiromoto, LEED AP, AIA, WELL AP, Living Future Accredited, Principal, HKS, Inc.
Alex Spilger, WELL AP, LEED AP, SVP/Director of Sustainability, Cushman & Wakefield
Dave Freeman, ex Chair of the Tennessee Valley Authority and ex Chair of SMUD
Terry Garcia, former chief science and exploration officer, National Geographic Society, CEO Exploration Ventures
Travis Price, FAIA, President, Travis Price Architects
Alisdair McGregor, PhD PE, Arup Fellow, Principal, Arup
Jason Hartke, former SVP of USGBC, President, Alliance to Save Energy
Bob Fox, Vice Chair USGBC Board of Directors, COOKFox Architects and Terrapin Bright Green
Steve Nadel, President, American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy
Bart Harvey, Chair of Calvert Impact Investments, member of Board of Directors, Fannie Mae
Stephen Bushnell, Former Sr. Director Fireman's Fund Insurance, Former USGBC Board of Directors
Donald Gilligan, President, National Association of Energy Service Companies
Premnath Sundharam, LEED AP, Global Sustainability Leader, DLR Group
Chris Wortley, Architectural Designer, Shepley Bulfinch
Mark Wilhelm, MEP, CEM, CRM, LEED AP O+M, Energy & Climate Change Consultant, Quest Energy Group, LLC
Ross Spiegel, LEED AP BD+C, FAIA, FCSI, CCS, CCCA, Principal, Ross G. Spiegel Architect
Christopher Davis, LEED AP O+M, WELL AP, Senior Sustainability Program Manager, CodeGreen Solutions
Deane Barone, LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, O+M & ISSP-SA, President, Barone International
Jorge Calderon, LEED AP, NCI, V/VO, The Earth Lab
Bill Reed, AIA, LEED, President, Regenesis Group
Heramb Tilak, Energy Systems Graduate Student
Elizabeth Hand, LEED AP, PH Designer, Envision SP, Sustainability Consultant, DIALOG
Ben Ridderbos, AIA, LEED AP, Senior Associate, Lord Aeck Sargent
Charles Marshall, P. Eng, MBA, LEED AP BD+C, Associate, Sustainable Design, DIALOG
Brett Little, LEED APH, LEED Faculty, CGHP, GreenHouse Institute
Jay Hindmarsh, AIA, LEED AP, CSI CCS, Associate, Mahlum Architects