LEED CoreConcepts&Strategies_3rd edition - Page 102

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Equipped with fundamental knowledge about green building and

LEED core concepts, let’s return to the building described at the

beginning of this guide by USGBC CEO Rick Fedrizzi. Imagine that

large oak table in the LEED Platinum commercial office space and

take a seat.

As part of your company’s finance team, perhaps you are working closely with the property manager to finalize details on a green lease agreement for this space. Or soon after the lease is signed and your company has moved in, you are part of the operations staff sitting around the same table, discussing the steps needed to implement your company’s new green cleaning guidelines.

Now, imagine that the oak table is in your LEED Platinum home. You are enjoying a meal with your kids, home from college for summer vacation. As you pass dishes around the table, filled with fresh food from the supermarket down the block, your daughter applauds you for taking her advice and pursuing LEED certification for your home.

Next, imagine that you are that son or daughter. You are back on campus, sitting at your own oak table, in your school’s LEED Platinum student activities center. You share your experiences volunteering at the most recent Greenbuild Conference with your peers and professors. Inspired by your stories, the team decides to plan an on-campus sustainability conference in the months ahead.

Finally, imagine that you are sitting at that oak table, back in the LEED Platinum commercial office space, flooded by natural springtime light. You work closely with your colleagues, following up on plans laid out in a recent project charrette. Looking up, you take pride in what you can contribute as a LEED Green Associate or LEED Accredited Professional.

Every day, we pass into and out of these buildings, often without giving them much notice. There is tremendous opportunity in our homes, our offices, our schools, our hospitals, our places of worship, and our neighborhoods. As we work together to transform the built environment, we can find solutions to climate change, water and resource shortages, unemployment and economic distress. We can tackle tough issues like traffic congestion and respiratory illnesses. With the knowledge you now carry, you are not only equipped to take part in the conversations about these challenges—you are prepared to be a leader, find solutions, and transform the built environment.

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