[SustainableTompkins] Fwd: EERE:LEED goes neighborhood

[Joel and Sarah Gagnon]

Excerpted. A very interesting development, reflecting a gradual broadening 
of perspective and integration of several movements.

Joel Gagnon


>A weekly newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) 
><http://www.eere.energy.gov/>Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
>Energy (EERE). The EERE Network News is also available on the Web at: 
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>August 22, 2007
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>Sustainable Neighborhood Rating System Draws Strong Interest
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>Green building is gaining in popularity throughout the United States, but 
>to date, most green building efforts have focused on a single building and 
>are usually championed by either the building's owner or its primary 
>tenant. Given that, can entire neighborhoods be swept up in the pursuit of 
>green building and sustainable design and development? The initial 
>experiences of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) suggests that the 
>answer is yes, as 238 new developments have signed up to participate in 
>the USGBC's new pilot rating system, the LEED for Neighborhood Development.
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>LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and until 
>now, the LEED Green Building Rating System has always been centered on 
>individual buildings. In contrast, the LEED for Neighborhood Development 
>is being touted as "the next generation of green building thinking." It 
>integrates the principles of green building, smart growth, and "new 
>urbanism," a concept that involves a range of housing types in a compact 
>neighborhood, incorporating mixed uses with well-designed streets that 
>allow easy access for pedestrians, bicycles, transit vehicles, and other 
>vehicles. A key aspect is to create green communities that encourage 
>people to walk to their destination rather than drive.
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>The 238 developments that are participating in the pilot are located in 39 
>U.S. states as well as 6 other countries. According to USGBC, the projects 
>range from urban infill projects that are less than an acre in size to 
>whole new communities that are more than 12,000 acres. Over the course of 
>the next year, the pilot projects will seek certification and help to test 
>the Neighborhood Development rating system. USGBC and its partners on the 
>project the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Congress for New 
>Urbanism will use the pilot program to learn more about how the draft LEED 
>for Neighborhood Development rating system works. The groups intend to 
>draw on that experience to revise and approve the final version of the 
>rating system in time for a full public launch in 2008. See the 
><http://www.usgbc.org/News/PressReleaseDetails.aspx?ID=3304>USGBC press 
>release, the <http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=148>LEED for 
>Neighborhood Development Web page, and the list of pilot projects 
>(<http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=2960>PDF 22 KB). 
><http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html>Download Adobe Reader.
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