Critiquing E-Certification Programs

by Lisa Pickert

If you’ve been reading any of my blogs, you’ll know that I am a proud promoter of environmental (E) certification programs for residential home building. I promote them because I believe in their usefulness for promoting improvements in the building industry. I also promote them because the building code, upon which building and the public rely, is a political process and as such, is slower to change. On the flip side, I don’t promote these programs because I believe that they are the perfect solution to all that can be considered “green” (healthy, sustainable, low environmental impact) in building.

In this spirit, I offer a new critique of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (L.E.E.D.) program developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The nonprofit organization, Environmental and Human Health Inc (EHHI), challenged the L.E.E.D. system, arguing that it doesn’t do enough to ensure human health, specifically in terms of providing and prioritizing excellent indoor air quality. You can read the report at www.ehhi.org/reports/leed. Naturally, the US Green Building Council was quick to respond with a defense of their programs. For those interested, the response in its entirety can be found at www.buildinggreen.com.

So where do I stand on the debate? I simply applaud the discussion and encourage all of us to read and understand the debate. I believe that risks to human health are everywhere and despite the plethora of regulations out there, ultimately, one’s individual actions and choices play a significant role in determining one’s exposure.

There is plenty of room for improvement in the L.E.E.D. and other green building programs. These programs provide a starting point NOT an ending point. Likewise, at Miranda Homes, we constantly strive to evaluate and improve upon how we build. Our site crew learns from what they do, our engineers stay current with the latest research on building science and our sales staff constantly seek input and feedback from customers and Realtors on what people want in a green home. Together, this knowledge is constantly being incorporated into the next home we build, creating an ever improving product and the confidence to offer a 10 year warranty to our home buyers.