USGBC LEED-Green-Associate Online Access

Regional priority credits are bonus points that are awarded to projects that achieve credits that address geographically specific environmental, social equity and public health priorities. These credits are not new LEED credits, but instead are existing credits that USGBC regional councils and chapters have designated as being particularly important for their areas. The goal of regional priority credits is to incentivize project teams to address the most critical and relevant environmental issues in their regions, such as water scarcity, air quality, habitat loss, or social equity12. Regional priority credits are based on the project’s geolocation (latitude and longitude coordinates), which can be entered and confirmed during project registration in LEED Online2. Each project can earn up to four regional priority bonus points, one for each regional priority credit achieved3.

According to a study completed by the Heschong Mahone Group, providing increased daylighting in schools can improve student test scores by 7%-18%. Daylighting is the practice of placing windows, skylights, other openings, and reflective surfaces so that sunlight (direct or indirect) can provideeffective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy use. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, U.S. Green Building Council resources

Installing a bioswale is a design technique that should be used to help prevent stormwater damage to the building and surrounding site. A bioswale is a vegetated channel that conveys stormwater runoff while filtering pollutants, reducing peak flow rates, increasing infiltration, and providing habitat. A bioswale can help prevent stormwater damage by reducing erosion, flooding, sedimentation, and contamination of waterways. The other options are not design techniques that should be used to help prevent stormwater damage to the building and surrounding site. Directing runoff into a stream is a design technique that can cause stormwater damage by increasing the volume and velocity of water entering the stream, resulting in erosion, flooding, sedimentation, and contamination of the stream. Paving the site with high Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) material is a design technique that can reduce the heat island effect by reflecting more solar radiation than conventional paving materials, but it does not prevent stormwater damage as it does not reduce runoff or improve water quality. Paving the site with impervious material is a design technique that can cause stormwater damage by preventing infiltration and increasing runoff, resulting in erosion, flooding, sedimentation, and contamination of waterways. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 32; USGBC [Sustainable Sites], page 4-5.

The statement that is the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) vision is: Buildings and communities will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. USGBC is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in the building industry through its LEED rating system, education programs, advocacy initiatives, and research projects. USGBC’s vision reflects its commitment to transformingthe built environment into one that supports human health, environmental quality, social equity, and economic prosperity1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, USGBC’s Vision