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Every week, Jennifer Mankins, owner of the Bird boutiques, tells us about the new 2,500-square-foot store on Grand Street in Williamsburg that she’s getting ready to open. Up this week: the decision to pursue LEED certification.

While we’re waiting to hear back from our contractors, whose bids are due today, I’d like to address why we decided to pursue LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. This has been the most common question we’ve received from blog readers so far. Considering our small scale and the administrative and financial costs, this is a fair question.

The answer can partly be found in a conversation I had with Mark, our project manager and a LEED accredited professional, at the beginning of the project, when we first considered registering with the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).

He explained that when the USGBC formed, back in the early 1990s, there were no rules or standards for implementing environmentally sustainable building practices. The LEED rating system, developed by the USGBC, produced an evolving set of guidelines that allow everyone client, architect, contractors to work together toward a common goal.

I appreciate the openness of the LEED system and its dedication to public discourse and I like the idea of it constantly being revised and improved upon by volunteer, consensus-based committees. I could relate to Mark’s respect for the process. But still: why couldn’t we use the standards set by LEED and the USGBC to inform our design and construction decisions without actually going through the process? Couldn’t we still have an environmentally responsible project without the costs and bureaucracy associated with getting certified?

It would be easy, maybe, to dismiss both the USGBC and the LEED rating system as propaganda, and write off those who participate as publicity hounds. Forgoing certification would certainly mean much less work for me.

However, in Mark’s experience, many green projects begin with the noblest intentions, but without the goal of certification and the rigor of the LEED process, things inevitably get dropped along the way. With all the stress that comes with a renovation, it isn’t hard to see how this could happen. In addition, I want to contribute to a larger movement. I believe that what I do as an individual matters, not only to the environment and the community, but also to the future of green building. Why would one person bother recycling? Why choose biking or public transportation instead of driving? It’s the belief that our individual actions can add up to make a significant impact.

So how much is this going to cost? First, there is the expense of registering and applying, $600 and $2250, respectively, with the USGBC. Then there is Mark’s fee for managing the entire LEED certification process, which is $75/hour and capped at $7500. A commissioning agent must also be hired to analyze energy consumption. This will likely cost us at least $15,000.

What we don’t know yet, but will soon find out, is how much the contractors are going to charge for the extra work associated with a LEED project. A lot of the extra work is paperwork. For example, the origins of all materials must be meticulously documented, including how they were manufactured, and the safety/environmental impact of any and all ingredients. It sounds kind of crazy, but it’s necessary in order to discover the total real cost of choosing a particular material.

Other than the paperwork, trying to salvage and reuse material is often more time-consuming. Take the bags of broken tile we saved as an example. We are planning on pouring large concrete planters inside the store, and instead of buying gravel to mix into the concrete, we’re going to break up the tile and use it as the aggregate. It would be faster and cheaper, one contractor pointed out, to just use a cement mixer. Otherwise, we’re going to have to pay people to break the tile and hand-mix the concrete on-site. The same argument can be made for re-using most salvaged material, too. It is labor intensive, which is more expensive. But what’s the alternative? Throwing perfectly good material into a landfill and buying new material, most of which was shipped all the way from China? It may be more cost effective for me for now, but it’s simply not taking into consideration long-term environmental costs.

The LEED rating system may not be perfect, but it’s what we have now and I’m proud to be a part of it. Plus, New York State recognizes that the financial burdens of LEED certification may discourage participation. Therefore the state has set aside funding and offers financial incentives for those who qualify. Our application was just approved. More on getting money back from the government next week!


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I agree fully, slick, but I think Lisa explained the issue well: if you don’t force the matter, it’s easy to slip from initial specs and intentions.

    Even with standards like LEED, “green” is still a slippery term. Is it green to get rid of perfectly functional appliances (see post on forum on new Avanti frig, for instance) and then buy a new one which is “energy star”? Or destroy old but repairable plaster walls and replace with new, contributing untold thousands of pounds to landfill? Or move a small house out of the way and build one twice its size?

    LEED would say yes, as long as you follow the standards. I would say no. The problem with any standard (LPC, LEED, fuel economy) is that the instant it’s in place, there will be a way to circumvent intent, if not the actuality.

    Otoh, it;s better than not having it at all, I guess.

  2. I remember this question being asked several weeks ago, but haven’t seen a response to it. It’s great that you’re going green and aiming for LEED certification… are you also carrying green products in your store?