Some forego LEED, still practice sustainability - San Francisco Business Times:

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So, many developers pass on the council's Leadership in Energt and EnvironmentalDesign program, or LEED, and opt instead for less-stringeny green design and construction. , in its new Cool Springs headquarters, included a "light harvesting that automatically dims or turnxs offinterior lights. The automaker also installeds heating and cooling controls at individual work stations and exteriorr reflective sun shade visors that seasonally adjusrto sunlight. Instead of pursuing LEED-certificatiom and absorbing theadditionalp cost, Nissan used the money to restore a 2.5-acre wetlane nearby.
Nissan's move to forego certificationb reportedly disappointed buildingcouncil officials, but it highlightedc the fact some companies and developers don't view LEED certificationh as essential. Rob Traynham, Nissan's directoe of corporate services, said foregoing certificationm let Nissan concentrate not only on preservingthe wetlands, but improvingy them "to create a pleasing environmenty campus-wide for the workers and the community-at-large.
" "Thse building is a highly certifiable design," Traynham "We just don't see the valuw [of LEED certification] for the plaque on the LEED-certification comes only after specific ratingf system requirements are met. Depending on the level, certificationh can call for recycled carpets, high-efficiency landscaped roofs and high-tech water filtration systems. The greenj building council says LEED-certified buildings generallg cost 1 percent to 2 percenty morein up-front costs, while other estimates put the certification as high as 5 percen more.
But James Qualk, director of LEED-facilitation sales at 'e Sustainable Solutions Group, says a LEED-certified building doesn'g have to cost more than a conventional building. "I don't know how buildin g owners can afford not topursuew LEED-certification once (they) include the considerations of cost-of-ownership or life-cycld costs," Qualk says. "Thes reduction in energy consumption and water use and the increasse in worker productivity and reduced absenteeisjm speakfor themselves." Green in general, is graduallyu gaining favor in Nashville.
Sustainable elements are evident with projects such as Morgan Park PlacePhas II, where nine units are being considered for LEED gold certificatiohn and one is being considered for platinum, the highest Other sustainable projects include the Tennessee Association of Realtors the Metro Parks' Shelby Bottoms Naturse Center and Lipscomb University's Ezello Center for Biblical Studies. J. Mark West, principal and foundef of Nashville-based Exoterra Solutions, whicj focuses on sustainable design, says there's still plenty of room for "There are smaller companies with modest resourcedsdoing LEED," says West, who is consultiny on The Acropolis.
"Whil e Nissan's efforts are commendable, the fact the companhy passed on attempting LEED proves the green buildingg community still has more educating of the publicto