LEED Green Associate Exam Study Sessions Flashcards
o Sourced from Green Associate Exam References –official sources for the exam content
o Screened for definitions and standards related to Exam Specifications plus a few highly applicable to green building practice in general
The area comprised of all contiguous land that is associated with and supports normal building
operations for the LEED project building, including all land that was or will be disturbed for the
purpose of undertaking the LEED project.
LEED Boundary
Handles rating system and reference guide development and updates, as well as advocacy
and resource management associated with LEED.
United States Green Building Council
(USGBC)
Handles the building certifications and professional accreditations associated with LEED.
Green Building Certification Institute
(GBCI)
The minimum characteristics or conditions that make a project appropriate to pursue LEED
certification.
Minimum Program Requirements (MPR)
List the Minimum Program Requirements:
Must be in a permanent location on existing land
Must use reasonable LEED boundaries
Must comply with project size requirements
Required elements or green building strategies that must be included in any LEED-certified
project.
Prerequisites
List the eight credit categories in every LEED Rating System
Location & TransportationSustainable SitesWater Efficiency
Energy & AtmosphereMaterials & Resources
Indoor Environmental QualityInnovation
Regional Priority
List the seven Impact Categories:
1. Reverse Contribution to Global Climate Change
2. Enhance Individual Human Health and Well-Being
3. Protect and Restore Water Resources4. Protect, Enhance and Restore Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services5. Promote Sustainable and Regenerative
Material Resource Cycles6. Build a Greener Economy7. Enhance Social Equity, Environmental
Justice, and Community Quality of Life
Allows teams to obtain technical guidance on how LEED requirements pertain to their projects, but
does not guarantee credit award, remains confidential and generally applies only to the one
project.
Project Credit Interpretation Ruling
(CIR)
Published publicly online, these are precedent setting and projects must adhere to those
published prior to project registration.
LEED Interpretations
A standard for thermal comfort - air and radiant temperatures, air speed, and humidity.
ASHRAE (American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-conditioning
Engineers) 55 (-2004)
A standard for minimum ventilation rates for acceptable Indoor Air Quality.
ASHRAE(American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-conditioning
Engineers) 62.1 (-2007)
Mainly, this standard establishes minimum energy performance requirements in the EA category, but it is also referenced in relation to Light Pollution
Reduction, in the SS category.
ASHRAE(American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-conditioning
Engineers) 90.1 (-2007)
The effort to codify green building practices into adoptable, adaptable and enforceable green building codes has produced this regulatory document as an overlay to more traditional
building codes.
International Green Construction Code
(IGCC)
An international association of HVAC contractors; which sets IAQ guidelines for occupied buildings
under construction - to maintain healthful indoor air quality during demolitions, renovations, and
construction.
SMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air-conditioning Contractors' National
Association)
Metric that combines reflectivity with emissivity, or the ability of a material to emit energy through
radiation.
Solar Reflectance Index (SRI)
The area of the site occupied by the building structure, not including parking lots, landscapes,
and other non-building facilities.
Building Footprint
Hydrocarbons that are used as refrigerants and cause depletion of the stratospheric ozone layer.
Banned by the Montreal Protocol as of 1995.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
A joint program of the U.S. EPA and DOE that promotes energy-efficient buildings, products, and practices: it is
used mainly in regards to building Minimum and Optimized Energy Performance, as well as for Appliances and Office Equipment. However, the standard is also used for initial
reflectance measurements of Roofing Products.
ENERGY STAR
An online tool that helps track and assess energy and water consumption.
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
A U.S. Act; and law, which is referred to in the Water Efficiency category in regards to fixtures and
fixture fittings (where applicable) such as: water closets, urinals, lavatory faucets, showers, kitchen
sink faucets and pre-rinse spray valves.
Energy Policy Act 1992
Land where development may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of hazardous
substances, pollutants, or contaminants
Brownfield
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, transportation accounted for __% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2008.
33%
List 3 strategies a project can use to encourage use of alternative transportation:
Locate near existing public transportation
Reduce parking availabilityProvide bike racks and
showersOffer incentives for alternative commuting
Provide reserved carpool parking
Provide alternative fueling stations
List 3 strategies a project can use for developing a sustainable site:
Minimize hardscapeUse native vegetationPrevent light pollution
Preserve open space and sensitive areas
Protect and restore habitat
Smart site lighting design can provide what benefits?
Improved safety by reducing glare and contrast
Maintain view of night skyReduce stress on nocturnal
animals
Give two examples of approaches to land management that mimic natural systems and manage rainwater as close to the source as
possible
Low impact design (LID) Green Infrastructure (GI)
Using reflective roof areas, reducing paved areas and installing a green roof are all strategies that
contribute to what?
Reducing Heat Island Effect
List 3 strategies a project can use for rainwater management:
Minimize impervious areasControl rainwater
Incorporate rainwater management into site
designHarvest rainwaterRedirect rainwater
Metering and monitoring indoor water systems allows a building to do what?
Track consumption trendsDetermine fixture
performancePinpoint leaks
A building’s orientation can provide what free energy strategies?
Natural ventilationSolar energy
Daylight
Encourages electricity customers to reduce their usage during peak demand times, helping utilities optimize their supply-side energy
generation and delivery systems.
Demand Response
List 3 strategies a project can use for achieving energy efficiency:
Address the envelopeUse high performance systems and appliancesUse high efficiency
infrastructureCapture efficiencies of scale
Use energy simulationMonitor and verify
performance
___________ and __________ provide the basis for tracking energy performance, with the goal of identifying and resolving any problems that may
arise.
Monitoring Verification
A commissioning agent is responsible for comparing building performance with what three
things?
Performance goalsDesign specifications
Owner’s project requirements
___________ has the highest percentage of total energy consumption in commercial buildings.
Space heating
A testing program which certifies floor covering products for compliance with indoor air quality
emissions. Floor covering products include: vinyl, linoleum, laminate flooring, wood flooring, ceramic
flooring, rubber flooring and wall base.
FloorScore
An independent, non-profit organization established to promote the responsible
management of the world's forests. It labels products that come from responsibly managed
forest and from verified recycled sources.
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
Created by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), this standard sets VOC limits for carpet and carpet
cushion products
Green Label Plus
A standard for low VOC material and green cleaning products. This standard includes adhesives, paints, coatings, and cleaning
products.
Green Seal
Attempts to identify and quantify environmental effects throughout the life of materials, products, or buildings
from raw material extraction to end of life disposal.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
This process looks at both purchase and operating costs as well as relative savings over the life of the building or product and calculates payback periods for first costs.
Life Cycle Costing(LCC)
List five environmentally preferable materials attributes:
Support the local economySustainably grown and harvested
Have intended end-of-life scenarios that avoid landfill
Contain recycled content from industrial or consumer sourcesMade of bio-based material
Free of toxinsLong lasting, durable, and
reusableMade in factories that support
human health and workers’ rights
Solid waste disposal contributes to greenhouse gas emissions in what two ways?
TransportationProduction of methane in
landfills
List three ways building design can reduce waste:
Dimensional construction materials
Pre-fabricated materialsMaterial efficient framing
A statement that the item meets the environmental requirements of ISO 14021–1999, ISO 14025–
2006 and EN 15804, or ISO 21930–2007
Environmental Product Disclosure (EPD)
A statement that the item meets the environmental requirements of ISO 14021–1999, ISO 14025–
2006 and EN 15804, or ISO 21930–2007
Environmental Product Disclosure (EPD)
A roof or portion of a roof on a building that is covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. They
help keep air above roofs cool, treat stormwater, create habitat and reduce heat island effect.
Green Roof
A filter rating established by ASHRAE in its Method of Testing General Ventilation Air Cleaning Devices
for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size.
MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting
Value)
A landmark international agreement designed to protect the stratospheric ozone layer. Within
LEED, this standard is referred to in regards to phasing out CFCs and HCFCs in refrigerants.
Montreal Protocol
This Institute is a nonprofit, public-benefits corporation Its mission is to promote energy efficiency in buildings through
technology research, guidelines, and codes. They also conduct studies in on the benefits of green building and
LEED.
NBI (New Buildings Institute)
This standard identifies water-efficiency products and programs for some high-efficiency fixtures or fittings. It is a partnership program created by the
EPA.
WaterSense
The percentage of materials in a product that is recycled from manufacturing waste. Examples include sawdust, trim materials, and agriculture wastes. Excluded are materials such as rework,
regrind, or scrap being reclaimed within the same process that generated it.
Pre-Consumer or Post-Industrial Recycled
Content
List three building products that can pollute the indoor environment through VOCs
PaintsAdhesivesFlooring
Composite woodInsulation
Wall materialsFurniture
List four design strategies to promote good indoor environmental quality:
Prohibit smoking in the building
Proper ventilationProtect the air that comes
into the buildingTest for radon/on-site
contaminantsEntryway systems
Specify low-emitting materials
Enclosed areas where people normally spend more than one hour of continuous occupancy per person per day; the occupants may be seated or
standing as they work, study, or perform other activities.
Regularly occupied space
Good lighting design considers the _________, the _________ of the building, the layout of the
______, the type of ________and configuration of the windows, even the type of furnishings and
________ of surfaces.
Tasks to be done in the spaceOrientation
RoomGlassColor