Taking the LEED Today, Charlotte has become a statewide model for innovations. The Queen City has won acclaim for its foresight in adapting light rail and also for its proactive stance on green building. “Asheville, too, is doing amazing things on the residential side,” Scofield says. “Cary, Raleigh, and Durham, have a strong educational presence. Charlotte is leading the way with its commercial LEED certifications and Energy Star. The universities across the state are incorporating fields of study— not just architecture and construction management, but also with the engineering field, interior design, and business management. Even the financial field.” Environmental science is where these interests intersect, Scofield says. “Some people say it’s not a new concept but it is becoming more mainstream. All of environmental science is completely interdisciplinary. You have to add in social sciences, hard sciences, policy makers—it’s a completely interdisciplinary field." People may wrongly think that environmental science is all about the great outdoors, but Scofield explains it is also about the great indoors. “We spend 90 percent of our time indoors, and (environmental science) becomes relevant to the population.”
Beyond Maslow's Theory… Every social cause has its moment, Scofield realizes. And there are frequently overlapping issues that may have to do with our environment, she says. One such example is obesity. We are increasingly aware of obesity now, and dietary choices, but what we overlook is that there may be an environmental component as well. An unhealthy work place may actually be a contributing factor. “If you are in a building that is not well built. with poor ventilation, trapping chemicals, you can tie that together to people not feeling well and not exercising—and then dealing with obesity,” says Scofield. She describes an exercise in which she has people close their eyes and imagine a favorite vacation spot, or a favorite “safe spot." The exercise makes her point for her. “Overwhelmingly, when you ask people to tell you where it was, they were outdoors. There is this basic desire to commune with nature; the benefit we receive from sunlight, and fresh air, all of this is of wonderful benefit to our
LEED STANDS FOR “LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN.” According to the website, LEED is a "comprehensive and flexible green building tool that addresses the entire building life cycle recognizing best-in-class building strategies.” Although USGBC created a rating system for LEED, they do not manage it. They only look at what Emily Scofield calls the “scorecard." A surprising number of builders understand the value of making a good score and want to make the grade. “You would think builders would have been the last to support it,” Scofield admits, “Yet they are leading the way.” While the scorecard is valuable, the awareness is more so. “The marketplace has been transformed,” she says. “You are hard pressed to build a building that is not more energy and water efficient, and cleaner than the way buildings were built 10 years ago. The products are available, competitively priced and the data is out there to support these enhancements.” Scofield points to many LEED benefits. Tenants are retained longer, she says, and landlords can charge higher lease rates. “Productivity increases, sickness decreases. In schools, asthma incidences go down. In hospital, stays go down and recovery is faster.” LEED buildings use less water and energy costs are lower. “The biggest battle is the antiquated argument that LEED costs too much. It doesn’t. What happens a lot is a project owner will say to the architect, ‘I want you to follow the LEED scorecard but not get the plaque. They want their building built that way but save a few thousand by not getting the plaque." All of which is just fine with Scofield. “In a sense, USGBC has accomplished its mission. The marketplace has transformed the way it designs and builds.
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