Chardon Heritage

The Chardon Heritage Committe agreed to move forward with LEED Certification.  The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.  LEED certified buildings are healthier work and living environments, which contributes to higher productivity and improved health and comfort. The USGBC has also compiled a long list of benefits of implementing a LEED strategy which ranges from improving air and water quality to reducing solid waste. The fundamental reduction in environmental impacts in addition to all of the economic and occupant benefits goes a long way for making a case for green building.

These benefits do not come without a cost however. Green buildings cost more both to design and to construct when compared to conventional buildings. The cost of designing a LEED certified building is higher for several reasons. One reason is that sustainable construction principles may not be well understood by the design professionals undertaking the project. This could require time to be spent on research. Some of the finer points of LEED certification could possibly lead to misunderstandings between the design team, construction team, and client, which could result in delays. Pursuing LEED certification for a project is an added cost in itself as well.

Often times when LEED certification is pursued, the initial construction cost of the project will be higher than the current industry standard. However, these high initial costs can be effectively mitigated by the savings incurred over time due to the lower-than-industry-standard operational costs which are typical of a LEED certified building. The Chardon Heritage Committee believes that the investment in LEED certification will be more than covered by a savings in operational expenses and additional gifts from foundations.  We also believe it's the "right thing to do".

To learn more about LEED certification, please visit www.usgbc.org.