LEED Report - Environment & Human Health, Inc.

The Green Building DebateVI. Summary of FindingsLEED Standards Are Being Adopted into Many LawsGreen Building Council standards are being incorporated into federal,state and local laws through legislation, executive orders, resolutions,policies, loan-granting criteria and tax credits. As demonstrated in thisreport, LEED standards are clearly insufficient to protect human health,yet they are being adopted by many levels of government as law. Thusthe Green Building Council, a trade association for the building industry,is effectively structuring the regulations. The number of jurisdictionsadopting these standards as law is growing, which will make them difficultif not impossible to change, unless federal law and regulation supersedethe “green” standards with health-protective regulations.No Federal Definition or Regulation of Green Building StandardsThere is no federal definition of “green building standards” analogous tofederal “organic food standards” or drinking water standards. Givenregulatory neglect, many trade organizations have worked to create theirown certification programs, hoping to capture growing demand forenvironmentally friendly and heath-protective buildings.Energy Efficiency Given Priority Over HealthThe LEED credit system is heavily weighted to encourage energy-efficientbuilding performance. Nearly four times as many credits are awarded asenergy conservation technologies and designs (35 possible credits) asfor protection of indoor environmental quality from hazardous chemicals(8 possible credits).Green Building Council Board Has Little Expertise in Environmental HealthDirectors of the LEED Program are predominantly engineers, architects,developers, real estate executives, chemical industry officials and buildingproduct manufacturers. One medical doctor representing Physicians for49