LEED® vs. GREEN GLOBES™

Growing interest in buildings that are better for the environment, healthier for occupants and more cost-efficient to operate is helping to drive the popularity of green building rating systems such as LEED and Green Globes.

Governments, in particular, see it as their role to lead by example, and legislation requiring the use of these systems is becoming increasingly common. At the same time, building science experts continue to find new and better ways to build “green” and the systems themselves are evolving.

Comparing LEED and Green Globes, one finds many similarities. Part of the reason is that they both evolved from the same source—the Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Ideas as to what constitutes green building also tend to be widely accepted, so it stands to reason that both systems emphasize things like energy, water and resource efficiency, site ecology, indoor air quality and pollution. Both are pointsbased systems that can be used to achieve a certified rating of performance, and include four roughly equal rating levels.

The systems also have significant differences. Targeted to the top 25% of the market, LEED involves a more complex and time consuming process, but is well-entrenched and enjoys strong brand recognition. Designed for widespread appeal, Green Globes is web-based and easy to use—even for those with limited environmental design experience—and is gaining ground thanks in part to growing mainstream interest.

Read the Wood and Green Building LEED® vs. GREEN GLOBES™ Fact sheet (768 KB)

HOME BUILDER GUIDELINES

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), green built homes will account for up to 10% of new construction by the year 2010—and two thirds of all home builders expect to be involved in green building to some degree by the end of this year. Given the fact that most of the wood consumed in North America is used to build homes, this could have a significant impact on the industry and its customers.

Because wood is an inherently “green” material, the trend toward green building represents an opportunity. In addition to being the only major building material that’s renewable and sustainable over the long term, studies have shown that wood is superior to steel and cement in almost every environmental impact category. At the same time, green building has given another platform to those who want to minimize wood use in favor of other materials.

Read the Home Builder Guidelines Fact sheet (760 KB)

The Role of Life Cycle Assessment

Life cycle assessment (or LCA) is an essential part of green building because it offers an objective and consistent way to measure the environment impact of building materials and assemblies.

Read the The Role of Life Cycle Assessment Fact sheet (787 KB)