LEED and CRD Waste

In Saskatchewan there is growing attention being paid to building 'green'. A lot of weight is put into how environmentally friendly new buildings will be, but what about the construction process itself? Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards provide a scale to prove just how green contractors are keeping the process.

The way LEED works is this: contractors are awarded points for meeting certain construction criteria. The more points you earn, the higher the accreditation. Contractors must earn a minimum number of points to have the building certified. They must earn more than the minimum to be certified silver, gold or platinum. Points and criteria are unique to each type of construction (e.g. commercial interiors vs. homes vs. renovations).

One of the points categories is materials and resources. The criteria include:

  • Building Reuse - maintain existing walls, floors and roof
  • Building Reuse - maintain existing interiorn nonstructural elements
  • Construction Waste Management - diversion of construction waste through reuse or recycling
  • Materials Reuse - constructing with salvaged or refurbished materials
  • Using materials with recycled content

An automatic requirement is storage and collection of recyclables on the construction site. That means all staff must recycle their own personal recyclables, like lunch items.

At present there are around 35 LEED building projects in Saskatchewan. Three of them have already gone through the complete certification process: the Forest Center in Prince Albert (LEED Gold), Alvin Hamilton Building Federal Government in Regina (LEED Silver), and the Regina Taxation Building (LEED Silver). Although the majority of projects are in Saskatoon and Regina, smaller communities are taking the initiative too, such as Porcupine Plain's new K-12 School and Warman's GAMA Integrated Health Center.

For more information on LEED standards in Canada, visit theĀ Canada Green Building Council's website.

[Source: May 2009 WasteWatch ]