LEED Certification
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the United States Green Building Council’s benchmark for designing, building and operating green buildings.
LEED is a voluntary, consensus based rating system used to evaluate the environmental performance of building and community design, construction, operations and maintenance.
To become certified, projects must first meet the prerequisites designated by the USGBC then earn a certain number of credits within the six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials & resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation & design process.
Using reclaimed wood can earn credits towards achieving LEED project certification. Because reclaimed wood is considered recycled content, it meets the Materials & Resources criteria for LEED certification. Some reclaimed lumber products are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, and qualify for LEED credits under the “certified wood” category.
For more information or to see if your project can achieve LEED certification, check out the LEED website. http://www.usgbc.org/leed