Topic: Costs of LEED for Small Buildings & Introduction of Earth Advantage Commercial Advantage

Part 1:  Chuck Halling, Sustainability Manager with Walsh Construction, and Kate Turpin, Sustainable Building Analyst with SERA Architects will provide a brief overview of the costs of LEED for small to mid-size buildings in Oregon.
 
Part 2:  Brian Lynch, Commercial Program Manager with Earth Advantage Institute will present the soon-to-be launched Earth Advantage Commercial Program (EA Commercial).  EA Commercial has been established with the mandate of bringing an affordable, holistic, alternative green rating system to the market, which allows small commercial buildings to obtain a legitimized third-party certification. While buildings under 100,000 square feet make up more than 98% of commercial buildings in the U.S. (CBECS 2003), they tend to be excluded from uptake of third-party certified green building rating systems due to cost of engaging in those systems. The new EA Commercial Program was created on the heels of a previous certification program (Earth Advantage Commercial 1.0) that certified several prominent buildings in the 1990s and early 2000s. At its core, the EA Commercial Program is designed to work with building development teams who have traditionally been marginalized from the green building forum and help to create better environmental outcomes for builders of small commercial spaces.

EA Commercial recognizes performance in five key areas; Energy, Water, Health Land and Materials.  The required measures under each of these categories are grouped in specific target areas under which each category delivers its primary benefits and function.  To ensure an adequate level of flexibility there is a short menu of additional measures to elect from to fulfill the requirements of certification.  By achieving a set number of requirements in all the categories, and all the target areas, project teams will create a balanced, well-rounded sustainable and energy efficient project.

The presentation will cover the genesis, development, format and current status of the EA Commercial Program.  The methods by which the program will be brought to market will also be addressed.

The Portland LEED User's Group (PLUG) meets on the second Thursday of every month from 12:00 - 1:30 pm, to discuss topics related to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System.  Attendees of these meetings represent many disciplines within Portland's green building community, and new attendees are always is welcome.

Upcoming PLUG Meeting Dates:

August 13 - Ground Source Heat Exchange

September 10 - Less Gravy, More Green: BC study on Pervious Surfaces & Prairie Crossing in Illinois

October 8 - International Rating System

Click here for a list of PLUG events from past years

 For additional information about PLUG, or to suggest future meeting topics, contact:

Dan Saddler           dSaddler@earthadvantage.org