21. Certification: Design and Green Architecture

Environmental Politics and Law (EVST 255)

The lecture critiques the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) certification system, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The criteria for being highly rated under LEED emphasize energy efficiency and minimizing waste, but do not prioritize environmental health and limiting use of dangerous plastics and chemicals. USGBC is a non-profit organization, not a government agency, and has employees of for-profit organizations on its board of directors. The lecture discusses the implications of having a non-profit organization run this system and be responsible for evaluating environmental quality in architecture and construction.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Growth, Consumption and Understanding Energy Intensity
15:48 - Chapter 2. Building Codes and Green Certification Programs
24:40 - Chapter 3. New Construction and Renovation Certification
34:38 - Chapter 4. Chemical Contents and Indoor Environmental Quality
40:39 - Chapter 5. Certification and Its Limits on Health and the Environment

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2010.