Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED-Green-Associate Release Date

Conserve and restore habitat is the correct answer because LEED Sustainable Sites encourages project teams to protect existing natural features and restore disturbed site areas with native or adaptive vegetation. This helps preserve biodiversity, support ecosystem services, protect sensitive ecological areas, and reduce harm from development. Mixed-use development can support smart growth and transportation efficiency, but it does not directly safeguard ecologically important areas. Constructing near prime farmland is not a good LEED strategy because prime farmland is considered sensitive land that should generally be protected from development. Increasing the parking footprint expands hardscape, increases runoff, and can damage habitat. Habitat conservation and restoration support LEED goals related to biodiversity, open space, natural systems, and responsible site development.

 Life-cycle costing is an economic analysis method that considers all costs associated with an asset over its entire life cycle, from acquisition and installation to operation, maintenance, and disposal. In this case, the building manager is comparing the total costs of owning and operating two different boilers over their respective lifetimes. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, U.S. Green Building Council resources

A site with minimal hardscape (such as concrete, asphalt, or other impervious surfaces) that has a large permeable surface (such as soil, grass, or other vegetation) results in reduced rainwater runoff. This is because permeable surfaces allow rainwater to infiltrate into the ground, replenishing the groundwater and reducing the amount of water that flows over the surface and carries pollutants into storm drains and waterways. Reducing rainwater runoff is one of the goals of the LEED v4 Location and Transportation category, which offers credits for using strategies such as green roofs, permeable paving, rain gardens, and vegetated swales

R-12 is the correct answer because it is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant, and CFCs are known for high Ozone Depletion Potential. LEED Energy and Atmosphere includes refrigerant management requirements to reduce damage to the stratospheric ozone layer and limit climate impacts from HVAC & R systems. New LEED projects must avoid CFC-based refrigerants in new HVAC & R systems, and existing systems with CFCs generally require replacement, retrofit, or a phase-out plan. R-134a and R-410A are non-CFC refrigerants and do not have the same ozone depletion impact as CFCs, though they may still have global warming impacts. Ammonia has no ozone depletion potential but has safety and application considerations.