New Construction

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by identifying performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Common LEED strategies on campus

• Water efficient landscaping
• Bicycle storage & changing rooms
• Preferred parking for low emission & fuel efficient vehicles
• Light pollution control
• Efficient water fixtures
• 30% average reduction for annual energy use
• Energy efficient lighting with control systems
• Enhanced refrigerant management
• Enhanced commissioning
• Regional, recycled content, and low-emitting materials
• Diversion of construction waste
• Air quality management during construction and before occupancy
• Indoor chemical & pollutant control
• High lighting and thermal comfort control
• Green cleaning policies

All major new construction projects will be designed with the intent to meet the LEED Green Building Rating System Silver Certification requirements:

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System® (LEED)

Developed by: United States Green Building Council (USGBC)
Public Launch Date: 2000 (Year buildings were first certified)
Website: www.usgbc.org

The LEED Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED and continue to contribute to its evolution.

LEED was created to:

• define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement
• promote integrated, whole-building design practices
• recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
• stimulate green competition
• raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
• transform the building market

What You Can Do

What You Can Do On Campus and at Home

• Set thermostats to 68° or below in winter and 75° or above in summer.   (Avoid use of space heaters!)
• Use natural daylighting whenever possible.
• Replace incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or LEDs. 
• Unplug electrical devices when not in use.