On Wednesday, a group of green building leaders, including architects, engineers, builders, planners, contractors and building owners will advocate for climate change legislation on Capitol Hill.

“As the built environment accounts for 40 percent of global carbon emissions, the green building movement has an unprecedented opportunity to make a major contribution to both national and international carbon reduction targets,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council.

With World Green Building Day, it’s a good time to think about LEED for homes. If you’re building a home in the future or renovating an existing one, ask your architect about it.

With the LEED rating system, you can end up with a high-performance home that not only saves you money in the long run, but uses fewer natural resources and is more comfortable to live in! Not to mention, there’s much less waste with a LEED-certified home.

To learn more about LEED certification, visit the US Green Building Council’s website, The Green Home Guide.

(Image via flickr/Udall Legacy)

Post from: Blisstree

First World Green Building Day

LEED has traditionally been applied to commercial structures – and some don’t think the LEED standards are entirely well thought out. Still, there are obvious benefits if we can achieve green homes, and LEED is offering one checklist for that goal. This is a good tool for consumers especially; although, keep in mind that a home does not have to be LEED certified to be healthy, non-toxic, and earth-friendly – this is just one system for checking these goals.

You can see the revised system below:

LEED for Homes Rating System (opens in PDF)

LEED for Homes Project Checklist (XLS)

You can get the full residential LEED scoop from the U.S. Green Building Council.

What’s more exciting, I think, then the new standards will be all the new houses trying to get the certification. This, I’m sure, will result in some pretty cool architecture – with people trying to build one of the best newly certified homes and so fourth. Like the new home being created for the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. They’ll be running a feature exhibit, Smart Home: Green + Wired, May 8, 2008 – January 4, 2009.

PR from the Museum:

“During its 75th Anniversary year, the Museum of Science and Industry will be building a functioning, three-story modular and sustainable “green” home in its own backyard to show case the ways, big and small, that people can make eco-friendly living a part of their lives—and to highlight unique home technologies for the 21st century. Celebrating exciting new directions in sustainable living and spectacular, environmentally-friendly technology, Smart Home: Green + Wired will offer guests guided tours of the 2,500 square-foot home and grounds, located in a park on the east side of the Museum. Guests will be able to view the latest innovations in reusable resources; smart energy consumption; sustainable gardens and green roofs; and clean, healthy-living environments in a contemporary setting.”

It sounds stellar. Best of all, guess who designed the home? Michelle Kaufmann Designs!  Cool, right? Remember West Coast Green?

Read more about the mkSolaire.

Post from: Blisstree

Residential LEED & the mkSolaire