What’s a LEED?

Q. I listen to radio talk shows, and John Gambling was going on about LEED-certified homes and how he doesn’t believe in global warming. What does LEED mean and how do you get it? Does it help to have it?

A. I took the courses for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design, or LEED, so I guess that makes me certifiable. The LEED Green Building System is a voluntary standard recognized by the Department of Energy and other government agencies.

Meeting specific criteria set up by the LEED program allows commercial and residential buildings to qualify for tax benefits in the form of rebates and abatements. It also shows the public your commitment to saving energy, reducing the amount of waste and pollution, often referred to as the “carbon footprint,” and your responsibility to helping save the environment in which we all have to live.

Real conservatives, especially the ones on talk radio that I’ve also heard, challenge the lack of evidence and insist this is all just another hoax. I find talk radio to be a form of entertainment created to boost ratings and stir people up with an opposing point of view.

Calling oneself a conservative, I believe, ought to mean that you conserve. So I have to laugh, listening to “conservatives” spreading fear about politics, war and crime while ignoring the fact that with every breath they take, they tend to belittle issues like clean air and water, which they seem to take for granted. War and crime are no laughing matter, and neither is the environment.

Don’t get too worked up over well-paid, insulated radio and TV personalities throwing their sky-is-falling and world-is-flat mumbo jumbo around. If they had taken a career path in the sciences or engineering, they might be better equipped to pontificate with knowledge about the environment.

There are people in our society working diligently to make sure that our water, air and land are monitored and safeguarded. They’re engineers and scientists who are real heroes. Not enough credit goes to them for the low-key yet vital service they provide. I read their published papers and recognize the dedication they have to protecting you and me, just like our soldiers in foreign lands.

You can do your part by purchasing products -- paint, carpeting, cabinets, plumbing fixtures -- made from natural substances that have low or no toxins. Labels will indicate “low VOC” or “no VOC,” which stands for volatile organic compounds. These compounds off-gas, polluting your personal space.

That new car smell is plastic off-gassing as you drive away from the dealer, inhaling toxins. The same is true of your carpet and the other finishes in your home and office, hence the need to protect your indoor environment. To learn more about the procedures and forms to fill out, contact the U.S. Green Building Council at www.usgbc.org. Good luck!

© 2008 Monte Leeper
Readers are encouraged to send questions to yourhousedr@aol.com, with “Herald question” in the subject line, or to Herald Homes, 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530, Attn: Monte Leeper,architect.