He lamented about how it wasn’t easy being green but I beg to differ. In this post, the first of a three-part series, I’m going to cover the growing trend towards green building practices that use valuable resources more efficiently and are kind to the environment. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System (LEED)

is a three-tiered rating system (bronze, silver and gold) that measures a building’s environmental performance and defines what elements make a building green in comparison to another building.

I’ll start with a little background information: The LEED program was launched by the U.S. Green Building Council with the intention of encouraging more sustainable building practices. It was adopted by the Canadian Green Building Council in 1999 and British Columbia became the first Canadian province (and first non-American licensee) of the LEED system, known as LEED-BC.

With a nod to smaller carbon footprints and a wink to Mother Nature, Vancouver embraced LEED-BC and now requires that all civic buildings bigger than 500 square metres be designed to earn a LEED-BC gold rating – the highest energy efficiency rating available.

I know you may be thinking, “This is all very progressive and lovely Eric, but what does it have to do with the painting and decorating world, and furthermore, what importance does it have to any of your clients or colleagues?”

Well, allow me to illuminate the finer details. What does LEED-BC have to do with the painting and decorating world? First of all, while the LEED-BC system encourages greener builder practices, as a professional painter and decorator of homes and commercial buildings, I have a responsibility to ensure that my work is as green as possible. I want to implement new methods and use the latest technology in my work. I also want to achieve a high recycling rate (remember the 3 R’s…reduce, re-use and recycle?) and I want a cleaner way to work, which involves understanding materials that are renewable, contain recycled content and emit low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

What importance are LEED-BC parameters to my clients? Just think: if you live (or work) in an energy efficient building, you increase your energy savings over time, reduce emissions and pollution and gain a competitive edge in the green building marketplace. And that’s just warm fuzzies all around.

Get more information:

- Canadian Construction Association’s Green Building Resource Centre

- Green building standards and workshops in Vancouver Light House Sustainable Building Centre, a non-profit organization based in Vancouver

- LEED detailed information on the rating system, the certification process, training workshops, the accreditation exam and case studies

- Suppliers of clean technology and products

- Recycling Council of BC The council’s hotline can connect you with waste mitigation services to help meet LEED points

Coming Up

I’m still on the green path with my second installment in a 3-part series on LEED-BC. How far reaching are the LEED-BC standards? Who uses them and how are they becoming the leading Canadian standard for measuring a building’s environmental performance? Why is it important to you? Stay tuned and I’ll explain.