Is LEED Way Behind?

The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded LEED certification to many buildings that may not seem very green -- the result of loopholes and weaknesses in the scoring system. A number of green architects now want nothing to do with LEED, and some clients who have commissioned true green buildings just don't see the benefit of paying for LEED certification.

Big money companies have embraced LEED as a smart PR move rather than having to make real environmental strides. While much of Europe has had strong green-building standards for over a decade, our LEED rating system may not really be all that effective. It's time for a critical look at whether LEED is all it's cracked up to be.

"A builder more interested in good PR than being good to the environment can even get points purely by chance. A new casino project in Philadelphia, which the city is requiring to pursue LEED certification, is located, like most downtown buildings, within a quarter-mile of a subway stop, earning a LEED point for transit accessibility. But the developer on the project, which includes a 3,200-car garage, won't commit to running a shuttle bus between the subway stop and the casino to encourage customers to take transit."