Transportation is a major factor in the nation’s ongoing struggle to become energy efficient. Even within the context of buildings, which create a whopping 72 percent of our energy consumption, transportation plays a key role.
Transportation-related measures are some of the lowest hanging fruit for developers seeking to reach the U.S. Green Building Council’s cherished LEED status with their new building or retrofit projects. These measures equal 10 percent and sometimes more as a piece of the puzzle.
Peggy Schwartz, who helps property owners determine how they qualify for LEED and is the executive director of the Transportation Action Partnership, recently said:
- 44 percent of chief executives believe green buildings help attract and retain employees and
- 98 percent of Generation Y aspires to work in a greener office.
“Developers almost don’t have a choice anymore. They need to pursue it to become a competitive building,” Schwartz added. “Developers are getting a fair amount of points for the kinds of cars drive along with getting people into modes that aren’t driving alone.”
Bike racks in the garage, shower rooms for bike commuters, ridesharing programs, and preferred parking spaces for fuel-efficient cars are some of the easier steps buildings can take on their way to LEED status.
An impressive recent USA Today investigation found that the USGBC “has helped thousands of developers win tax breaks and grants, charge higher rents, exceed local building restrictions, and get expedited permitting. The council has certified 13,500 commercial buildings in the U.S. as green and become one of the most influential forces in building design by helping persuade public officials and private builders to follow its rating system.”
The article goes on:
“More than 200 states, cities and federal agencies now require LEED certification for new public buildings. Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Baltimore, Washington and roughly 85 other cities go an extra step and require some private commercial buildings to follow LEED. And nearly 200 jurisdictions give LEED builders tax breaks and other incentives.
“LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, awards buildings points for features that aim to minimize emissions, water use, waste and indoor pollutants. A new commercial building needs 40 out of a possible 100 points for certification.
“A USA TODAY review of 7,100 LEED-certified commercial buildings shows that designers target the easiest and cheapest green points by taking steps with an unknown effect, such as providing preferred parking for fuel-efficient cars, and bike racks and showers.
“The Tower Companies, a Maryland developer, got a $1 million windfall by adding last-minute features to an office tower near Washington, D.C. Aiming for Gold certification when construction began in 2007, company officials realized when the building was nearly finished that they were close to reaching Platinum. They added preferred parking spots for hybrid cars and a system that channels cooling-system water to outdoors landscaping — and turned a $530,000 property-tax break for Gold into $1.6 million for Platinum.
“The extra money was not the goal, said David Borchardt, Tower’s chief sustainability officer. But the extra incentive for Platinum certification ‘more than made up for the cost’ of the two extra features, he added.”
Please register for Mobility Lab’s upcoming LEED/Transportation Symposium, where developers and property owners will have the chance to learn much more about accumulating significant points for LEED certification with transportation strategies.