The debate has been settled, green building will play a major part of the future of the building industry. However, as green building is still in its infancy it faces an identity crisis. What does it mean to be green? (and no I am not talking about being sea sick!) Is a Green building defined only as a building certified by LEED or can other certification systems be used? Can a building obtain the same energy efficiency, decreases in environmental impact, and sustainability as a certified building but forgo certification to save money and still be green? I believe that from a legal standpoint this “identity crisis” will be the source of a great deal of litigation. I would love to hear what you think.
Link to original article can be found here.
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Rich,
I think that you are right on all counts. One the one hand, Green is Green, on the other LEED seems to have taken over and is almost as objective as we can get. However, the truth remains that contracts need to specify the requirements to meet and litigation will arise as it does from any new technology.
LEED requires Energy Star Certification, correct?
I would think a certain minimum Energy Star score would be a good way to differentiate a green building from a non-green building.