Be a Change Agent and Drive Market Transparency

Adhere to the LEED v4 credit requirements for ‘Building product disclosure and optimization – environmental product declarations.’ By doing so, your project will play an active role in the movement for transparency. For example, utilize CannonDesign’s master spec division one section for product transparency, using v4 definitions for disclosure. Select 20 products which meet the criteria.

 

Think Locally and Act Globally

Identify an important regional or local environmental issue. Create a project plan which seeks to minimize those impacts. For instance, for a project on the Chesapeake Bay watershed, a project goal built on product selections with lower eutrophication impacts would be appropriate. When searching for products, refer to EPDs to compare relevant criteria for like products focusing on relevant criteria.

 

Align With the Client’s Mission

Choose an environmental issue that’s important to the client and/or team, then address this through material selections. For example, for a health system addressing community health from a preventive context, a goal based on reduced smog and particulate impacts would be appropriate.

 

Focus on Impact

Identify a high volume material on the project, identify environmental issue(s) associated with that product, and reduce those impacts by researched comparison between providers. Start with products with high cost or weight. See Product Type Comparison by Manufacturers.

 

Attend to Climate Change

Set a goal for embodied energy and/or carbon emissions. Refer to the Embodied Energy section for comparisons by system type. Select products with embodied energy lower than industry average for that product type.