New on USGBC.org: LEED Credit Library

You know the problem – you want to know about a LEED credit, so you search through the USGBC website and dig up a PDF of the rating system. After scrolling through you find the credit you’re looking for and go to work. But wait – does this credit have addenda changes? What version is this? Where’s the LEED Online form? Isn’t there a guidance document? What do the reviewer tips say? And where’s that reference guide I bought? More digging, more searching, and who knows if you got it all?

We have the same problem. The rating system is supposed to be a nice, clean simple list of requirements for what constitutes a green project. But the real life application isn’t so simple. So, over time people ask questions, more guidance is given and mistakes are corrected. But now it’s not so clean and simple. It’s a living document…er… documents. After years of hoping for a solution, we have a new approach – the LEED credit library.

At its core, the building blocks of LEED are the credits, so we started at that level – each credit has a spot on our new website (with its own credit icon thanks to Acorn Sign Graphics!). The first thing you’ll see is the credit language, then, orbiting that language are the supplemental resources, the LEED Interpretations, educational tutorials, videos and reference guide material. If it’s about the credit, it’ll be on that page. Over the next few months, you’ll see this information come together. We’ve started with the credit language, supplemental documents and interpretations. We’ll soon be adding educational tutorials, a window into LEEDuser discussions, and advanced search functionality, so you can set up filters to show the credits and rating systems you use most often. When something changes, we’ll tell you about it.

Not only can you find our current rating systems (LEED 2009), but previous version, and…future ones. This is where we’ll be talking to you about LEEDv4, which opens for 5th public comment October 2nd. You’ll be able to view the credits and make comments. Plus, you can see what other people are saying.

I’m really excited about our new website. It makes it possible for LEED to be a conversation. So join in! What do you want to see in the credit library in the future? How do you currently use LEED and what can we do with the credit library to improve your experience?