More than 500 articles on the Green Lodging News website reference the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification system. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Many hotel companies have embraced LEED and for good reason. The system provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.
Also, according to USGBC, LEED buildings have a higher resale value than non-LEED buildings. LEED-certified buildings are a solid asset for investors, occupiers, and communities.
LEED is available for every project: Building Design and Construction, Interior Design and Construction, and Building Operations and Maintenance.
An important strength of LEED is that it is ever evolving. Earlier this year, USGBC announced the opening of the first public comment period for LEED v5. That period ended in late May. Early 2025 is the target for opening LEED v5 for registration, as the newest balloted rating system. LEED v5 has been developed around three central areas of impact: Decarbonization, Quality of life, and Ecological conservation and restoration.
Decarbonization by targeting reductions in operational, embodied, refrigerants, and transportation emissions.
Quality of life by improving health, wellbeing, resilience, and equity for building occupants and their communities, making spaces not just environmentally friendly but also people friendly.
Ecological conservation and restoration by emphasizing strategies that limit environmental degradation and contribute to the restoration of ecosystems, ensuring that our built environment exists harmoniously with nature.
Targeting Near-Zero Carbon Emissions
Approaching near-zero carbon emissions is a key part of LEED v5. LEED v5 Operations + Maintenance puts existing buildings on a path to decarbonization and ties Platinum-level certification to near-zero carbon operating emissions. LEED v5 Building Design + Construction provides a framework for new buildings to reach near-zero carbon emissions operationally by 2050, on a decarbonized grid.
Few hotels have reached the elite LEED Platinum level. With LEED v5, to achieve LEED Platinum, buildings must achieve near-zero carbon operationally.
Final versions of LEED v5 incorporating feedback received during the public comment period are scheduled to be released in early 2025. As USGBC continues the development of LEED v5 over the coming year, projects will be able to register to use the current version of LEED and will be held to the requirements in place at the time of registration throughout their certification process.
LEED’s development grew from the formation of USGBC in 1993. Thirty-one years later, the bar for certification continues to be raised.
As you develop and complete your LEED project, be sure to keep me updated. And, if you would like to share your experiences with LEED, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in our Green Supplier Spotlights!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes the Wednesday Green Supplier Spotlight and Thursday Green Suppliers Spotlight. Green Supplier Spotlight features just one vendor and Green Suppliers Spotlight features multiple vendors. Click here for a Green Supplier Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample and rate sheet. Both e-blasts that reach 19,840 subscribers have been built to generate quick leads. A report is sent a week after each e-blast that includes the number of e-mails sent, number of opens, and number of click-throughs. Contact Glenn Hasek at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com for more information.
Planning Advertising for 2024?
In addition to the Spotlight ads described above, Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for other advertising spots for 2024. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. The Green Lodging News website just set a traffic record last month with 63,531 different visitors. Interested in receiving a 2024 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlights currently stands at 19,840. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail greenlodgingnews@gmail.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,719 Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has more than 1,300 Facebook followers.
As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
