LEED Report - Environment & Human Health, Inc.

The Green Building DebateOther cities require buildings of a certain size or cost to meet LEEDcertification standards. Atlanta, Georgia, and Berkeley, California,require buildings over 5,000 square feet to achieve minimum LEEDcertification; Washington, DC, and Boston codes require buildings over50,000 square feet to be LEED-certified; and New York city requires allmunicipal construction costing more than $2 million to earn a minimumLEED Silver certification. 2Many colleges and universities, as well as schools ranging fromkindergarten to twelfth grade, have instituted policies or set goals tomeet LEED standards. Most of the efforts target LEED Silver certification,or 50–59 out of 100 points. New York City requires schools and hospitalsto earn LEED certification.State AdoptionsHundreds of cities andtowns have adoptedincentives to encourage“green” building, someof them specificallytied to the LEED system.Some states require their state buildings to achieve LEED Silvercertification. Other states have adopted more general standards, withperformance guidelines relating to the efficient use of water andenergy. Some states, such as California, are transitioning from voluntarystandards to mandatory standards. States like Hawaii require stateagencies to design and construct buildings over 5,000 sq. ft. to meetLEED Silver certification and the same for public schools. 3Other states issue tax credits for achieving LEED certification, as shownin Table 4 (next page). For example, New Mexico’s tax credits forcommercial buildings range from $3.50 per square foot—for buildingsthat achieve LEED New Construction Silver certification—to $6.25 forbuildings that achieve LEED New Construction Platinum certification.New York provides an income-tax incentive for commercial developmentthat incorporates specific green strategies informed by LEED. Inaddition, Oregon offers a LEED Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) forNew Construction, Core and Shell, or commercial interiors projects thatachieve a minimum Silver certification. 443