Following up on the May 1 post, Pringle Creek Community is one of 370 applicants for the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Pilot Program. There are 120 “slots” available, and those selections will be announced in the next 2-3 weeks.
LEED certification used to be only for environment-friendly buildings. Buildings can earn Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum certification, depending on the number of credits they attain. LEED building certifications are administered solely by the U.S. Green Building Council. For the LEED-ND program, USGBC is collaborating with the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
According to the USGBC website, the LEED-ND Rating System “integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national standard for neighborhood design.” This page on the NRDC website says (in more detail) that the LEED-ND applicants will be graded on 1) choosing an environmentally sound location, 2) reducing the need to drive, 3) using less land to create more benefits, and 4) conserving energy, water and other natural resources.
Will Pringle Creek be one of the 120 developments selected for the pilot program? Stay tuned, you'll find out as soon as we do, right here on the blog.
