Environmental Buildings Skipping LEED Certification

Carnegie Institution's Department of Global Ecology, which just opened its new building on seven acres on the campus of Stanford University in California , but decided to forgo the LEED certification. "It's difficult to say just how many other property owners and developers have decided to make their buildings green without seeking certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. But some, including the officials at the Department of Ecology, say the cost and time required to get their projects certified is not worth the effort... 'We decided we would rather take money required for LEED certification and spend it on other sustainability features,' says Chris Field, director of the Department of Global Ecology."