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effects of the built environment. These ongoing improvements are developed by USGBC member-based volunteer technical advisory groups, committees, subcommittees, and working groups in conjunction with USGBC staff. Once development is complete, changes are reviewed by the LEED Steering Committee and the USGBC Board of Directors and are approved by the Consensus Committees acting as the membership consensus body, before being submitted to USGBC members for a ratification vote. The process is based on principles of transparency, openness, and inclusiveness, as detailed in the Foundations of LEED. To learn more, please visit: usgbc.org/resources/foundations-leed.

In 2007, USGBC launched GBCI as an independent organization to manage the LEED certification and professional credentialing process to scale the demand for LEED and ensure ongoing quality and integrity.

For more information on the history of LEED, USGBC, and GBCI, visit: usgbc.org/about/mission-vision

LEED’S GOALS

LEED seeks to optimize the use of natural resources, promote regenerative and restorative strategies, maximize the positive and minimize the negative environmental and human health consequences of the construction industry, and provide high-quality indoor environments for building occupants. LEED emphasizes integrative design, integration of existing technology, and state-of-the-art strategies to advance expertise in green building and transform professional practice. The technical basis for LEED strikes a balance between requiring today’s best practices and encouraging leadership strategies. LEED sets a challenging yet achievable set of benchmarks that define green building for interiors, buildings, and cities and communities.

LEED v5 has been developed around three central areas of impact:

• Decarbonization

• Quality of Life

• Ecological Conservation and Restoration

Every credit and prerequisite in LEED v5 are connected to decarbonization, quality of life, and/or ecological conservation and restoration, and this is annotated throughout the rating system, enabling project teams to easily shape and communicate their sustainability stories.

U.S. Green Building Council LEED v5 Reference Guide for Interior Design and Construction, April 2025 Launch Edition 2