Home / Sustainability at Tufts / Institutional Environmental Initiatives / Sustainable Infrastructure / Green Buildings & LEED
According to the U.S. Green Building Council, in the United States buildings account for:
36% of total energy use
65% of electricity consumption
30% of greenhouse gas emissions
30% of raw materials use
30% of waste output —136 million tons annually
12% of potable water consumption
High performance or green buildings minimize their environmental impact, improve the comfort of their occupants, and minimize strain on local infrastructure. Typical green buildings incorporate the following features:
Green building is as much about design strategy as it is about selecting green materials. Integrated design – thinking about how a building works as a system and designing that system to be environmentally-friendly – is a key part of green building.
Certain products, particularly those that deal with energy, are not inherently green but can be used in ways that enhance the environmental performance of a building. For example, a dual-pane, low-E window may not be green in terms of its material components or manufacturing process, but if used strategically it can reduce energy use by maximizing the collection of winter sunlight and blocking out the summer sun.
Sophia Gordon Hall is Tufts’ first building to receive a LEED gold certification.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the US Green Building Council, provides a standard for environmentally sustainable construction.
LEED offers four levels of achievement: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum according to how well the building performs in five major areas:
LEED is presently the most popular and respected guide for green building in the United States. Its use generates much needed discussion among building professionals, despite criticism that its checklist system does not foster a systems approach and that its certification costs require money that could be used to make the building in question even more sustainable.