USGBC Launches LEED Zero
The US Green Building Council unveiled LEED Zero — a push to get LEED projects to net‑zero carbon operations and accelerate climate action now. Advocates say coupling buildings with transit and plant‑forward diets can cut emissions up to 30% faster, and pairing heat pumps with EV infrastructure doubles grid payback in modeling being shared online. (x.com)(x.com)
LEED Zero will certify net‑zero performance across four specific outcome areas — carbon, energy, water and waste — as a complementary designation layered on existing LEED projects. (usgbc.org ) The draft LEED Zero Carbon rules require a project to demonstrate net‑zero operational carbon over a 12‑month reporting period and add new provisions covering onsite combustion, refrigerants, embodied carbon and occupant transportation. (usgbc.org ) USGBC says LEED Zero is available to projects that have already earned LEED BD+C or LEED O+M certification and to projects registered to pursue O+M, and the designation is currently being rolled out in beta. (Buildings.com ) Melissa Baker, USGBC senior vice president of technical core, framed the move as a step toward a longer‑term “LEED Positive” goal in which buildings generate more energy and remove more carbon than they produce. (BDC Network / bdcnetwork.com ) USGBC is pairing LEED Zero with upgraded performance tools introduced alongside LEED v5 — including the Arc performance platform — to track ongoing outcomes and support certification under the new decarbonization‑focused rules. (Green Lodging News / greenlodgingnews.com )
