A number of rating systems are available for certifying the new construction and renovations of green building projects.  There are too many local, state and national systems to present them all here, but almost all of the rating systems share similar approaches to rewarding reuse principles.

1. Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion - Some rating systems, such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), require a minimum percentage of construction and demolition waste to be diverted from landfills and incineration while other systems only reward high levels of diversion.        
2. Use of Reused / Recycled Content Materials - Nearly all of the ratings systems will reward building and renovation projects for sourcing materials that have a high recycled or reused content, such as particle board.  
3. Material Restrictions (Red List / Sustainably Sourced Wood / Urea Formaldehyde) - Salvaged and reused materials are typically exempt from the red list requirements in the Living Building Challenge, as well as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative/Forest Stewardship Coalition restrictions on wood sourcing in LEED and other rating systems.
4. End of Building Life Planning - This emphasis on Design for Deconstruction has become one of the most innovative elements of the Living Building Challenge, and Coalition for High Performance Schools rating systems.  This emphasis on future harvest will be the greatest step we can take towards eliminating wood waste.

Related Topics

• LEED
• New Construction

Tags

• Building Rating Systems
• New Construction