Today, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) announced a new strategy intended to leverage LEED — and the communities implementing the rating system — to support buildings and neighborhoods in a post-pandemic world.
The strategy, published as "Healthy People in Healthy Places Equals a Healthy Economy," promotes the idea that prioritizing the health of people, communities, and the planet is the fastest way to rebuild a healthier, more sustainable economy. USGBC is launching emergency guidance and upgrades to the LEED green building program to ensure that it reflects the realities that buildings, and more importantly, the people inside them, will face in the near future.
USGBC has defined global best practices for designing, constructing, and operating sustainable buildings and spaces through LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED promotes the use of strategies that reduce environmental impact, enhance human health, and support economic development.
Under the new initiative, USGBC will update current LEED strategies in LEED v4.1 that support indoor environmental quality, cleaning, occupant comfort, operations, better materials, and risk management, while finding opportunities to introduce new approaches given the current public health crisis. USGBC will also take the following actions:
USGBC says that refining LEED strategies and providing guidance that clearly communicates the economic, health, and environmental benefits of sustainable buildings, communities and cities to people — especially during this time of uncertainty — will be a priority.