The USGBC has released a new strategy, “Healthy People in Healthy Places Equals a Healthy Economy,” to use LEED to support buildings and communities in a post-pandemic world. This new plan includes emergency guidance and upgrades to the LEED green building program.
The program initiates emergency guidance and upgrades to the LEED guidelines that reflect the new realities that buildings and the people inside them will face in the near future. “By helping everyone understand the role a LEED-certified building can have in creating healthy spaces, we can help rebuild public trust, stimulate the economy, and ultimately bring about a healthier standard of living for all,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, USGBC President and CEO.
The USGBC will be updating the current LEED strategies contained in LEED v4.1. These are protocols for indoor environmental quality, cleaning, occupant comfort, operations, better materials and risk management. New LEED guidelines including pilot credits to support social distancing, nontoxic surface cleaning, air quality, and infection monitoring will also be implemented.
Additional USGBC initiatives include forming Regional CEO Advisory Councils to advise and support the USGBC’s CEO on how the organization can prioritize sustainability in a post-pandemic world. It will also accelerate the implementation of its USGBC Equity program to better address the social, health, and economic disparities within communities.
USGBC also plans to publish a series of best practice guidance reports to help project teams assist their occupants as they reenter their spaces. For more information, contact KC Restoration today.
With the start of the school year looming ever nearer, a lucky number of KC Restoration technicians got to donate their time and refinishing skills last week to help get the campus of the Kansas School for the Deaf looking its best for the students and teachers soon to be filling the halls. Exterior handrails and swing set were painted, as were entrances to the library. Paint relief and refinishing brightened up a library plaque while outside, wood fencing and a decorative metal and wood bench were enlivened with deep cleaning and refinishing. We can certainly see how proud everyone is to show off their work and proud to be giving back to our Olathe community and the stellar team managing the school’s facilities.
