Is your building LEED ready? Here are some factors to note about the rating system to help you get certified:
- Region: Recently, the USGBC introduced credits for green building practices that take into account area-specific concerns. For example, buildings in the southern, sunnier part of the state can get bonuses for utilizing solar panels.
- Indoor environment: The program awards points for many factors regarding the interior of a building, including air quality. An HVAC system upgrade can help you score extra points.
- Energy Star: Making sure your building is energy efficient is one of the biggest factors for obtaining a LEED certification. Using Energy Star compliant components is a quick simple way to help make your building green.
- Education: Your upgrades won’t mean much if your tenants aren’t aware of them. Awareness and education programs with tenants will show you’re serious about certification.
- Conserve materials: Make sure any remodeling done in the building reuses existing materials, such as beams and studs. Liquidating used office furniture and equipment instead of disposing it is another easy solution, as that equipment will be repurposed down the road.
- Greenspace: If your property has green space, there are two things you can do to net you extra points. First, grass takes a lot of water to maintain. Keep conventional turf down to 20 percent or less of the total space. Second, for walkways, using high-albedo, or reflective, materials helps control the urban heat island effect.
- Outside the box thinking: There’s no denying the complexities in the LEED standard, but the USGBC awards points for environmentally friendly solutions that they haven’t thought of yet or things that go above and beyond existing guidelines.
To meet official requirements, a liquidator familiar with the local suppliers that has experience with products that boast different levels of reuse will help office managers meet their personal goals by giving them access to remanufactured chairs, desks and other office items.
