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Heather McCombs, LEED AP® ID+C, earned her LEED® professional credential on December 31, 2008. Soon after, she started the Northeast/Fox Valley branch of the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance (WGBA), the Wisconsin chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC®). In 2010, McCombs developed and taught curriculum for the first LEED Green Associate™ exam preparation classes at Fox Valley Technical College. When she became Executive Director of the Wisconsin chapter of USGBC in 2011, she continued to teach LEED Green Associate exam preparation. Heather McCombs has a BFA from California Institute of the Arts and an MS in Organizational Leadership and Quality from Marian University. LEED Green Associate™ Exam Preparation Guide, LEED® v4 Edition, is a continuation of McCombs’s work to make LEED and sustainability standard practice in the design, construction, and operation of buildings.
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Green Apple
Armstrong
Husqvarna Construction Products
Bently Holdings
IBEW 697
Big Head Farm
KT Innovations
BLM Oregon
Linden Group Architects
Bosch Thermotechnology Corp.
NREL
Carrier Corporation
SC Johnson
Center for Resource Solutions
Tesla Motors, Inc.
Chicago Dept. of Transportation
Toyota Motor Corporation
DJK Custom Homes, Inc. Plainfield, IL
USDA NRCS
DVO, Inc.
U.S. Green Building Council
FANUC Robotics North America
Viessmann Manufacturing Company Inc. Water Harvesting Solutions, Inc.
LEED Green Associate™ Exam Preparation Guide, LEEDŽ v4 Edition, is a comprehensive study reference for the LEED Green Associate exam. This exam preparation guide provides a detailed and efficient approach to studying through concise text and detailed, full-color illustrations and photos. To aid in the successful passing of the LEED Green Associate exam, each feature in the print and digital resources is designed to promote quick comprehension. These features include objectives, key terms and definitions, factoids, and from the field notes in addition to practice questions and sample exam questions.
Objectives address the main concepts, task domains, and knowledge domains within each chapter.
Key Terms provide a list of terms to understand for taking the LEED Green Associate exam.
Factoids supply information related to chapter topics.
From the Field showcases a LEED-credentialed professional.
Key Terms and Definitions provide detailed explanations for the key terms listed at the beginning of each chapter.
Practice Questions provide a sample of questions that review the information in the chapter.
CHAPTER 1
Becoming a LEED® Green Associate™ 1 History of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design • Benefits of the LEED® Green Associate™ Credential • Network Involvement • Employment Opportunities and Job Security • Specialized Communication Skills • Demand for Green Associates • LEED Applications • Agriculture, Horticulture, and Natural Resources • Architecture • Business, Management, and Finance • Construction • Culinary and Hospitality • Energy • Engineering Technology • Environmental Policy and Studies • Human Resources • Insurance and Banking • Interior Design • Landscaping • Manufacturing • Marketing and Public Relations • Real Estate • Transportation • Urban Planning
CHAPTER 2
The Test Process
17
LEED Green Associate Exam • Registration and Exam Fees • Exam Format • Credential Maintenance • Exam Preparation • Reference Materials • Studying for the Exam • Memorization • Practice Exams • Timeline • Taking the Exam ®
CHAPTER 3
™
LEED v4 Core Concepts and Themes
27
Global Climate Change • Impact Categories • Life-Cycle Approach • Life-Cycle Assessments • Life-Cycle Costing • Triple Bottom Line • Cost of Green Building • Regenerative Building • Integrative Process • Integrative Process Credit • Integrative Process Phases • Iterative Process • Systems Thinking • Open Systems • Closed Systems • Feedback Loops • Leverage Points • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 4
Overview of USGBC® and LEED® 43 U.S. Green Building Council • LEED Products and Services • Community Involvement • Education • Advocacy Opportunities • Grassroots Initiatives • LEED Rating Systems • LEED for Building Design and Construction • LEED for Interior Design and Construction • LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance • LEED for Homes Design and Construction • LEED for Neighborhood Development • Checklists • Prerequisites • Credits • General Credit Categories • Homes Credit Categories • Neighborhood Development Credit Categories • Credit Interpretation Requests • Minimum Program Requirements • Impact Categories • Pilot Credit Library • Certification Levels • Certification Process • The Project Team • Rating System Selection • Project Registration • Credit Submittals • Project Review • Project Certification • Cost of LEED • LEED Programs • LEED Volume Program • LEED Campus Program • Recertification Program • LEED Professional Credentials • LEED Green Associates • LEED APs • LEED Fellow • Certificates • Trademark and Terminology Policies • LEED and Building Codes • Alternate Rating Systems • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 5
Location and Transportation
71
Location and Transportation • Location Intents • Location Strategies • Transportation Intents • Transportation Strategies • Site Development Intents • Site Development Strategies • Health and Livability Intents • Health and Livability Strategies • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 6
Sustainable Sites
91
Sustainable Sites and Environmental Impacts • Site Design and Management • Site Design and Management Intents • Site Design and Management Strategies • Rainwater Management • Rainwater Management Intents • Rainwater Management Strategies • Heat Island Effect • Heat Island Intents • Heat Island Strategies • Light Pollution • Light Pollution Intents • Light Pollution Strategies • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 7
Water Effieciency
107
Innovative Approaches to Water Conservation • Baseline and Design Cases • EPAct of 1992 • Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) • Flush Fixtures and Flow Fixtures • Increasing Water Efficiency • Reducing Indoor Water Use • Reducing Indoor Water Use Intents • Reducing Indoor Water Use Strategies • Reducing Outdoor Water Use • Reducing Outdoor Water Use Intents • Reducing Outdoor Water Use Strategies • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 8
Energy and Atmosphere
125
Energy and Atmosphere • Baseline and Design Cases • Reducing Energy Demand • Reducing Energy Demand Intents • Reducing Energy Demand Strategies • Increasing Energy Efficiency • Increasing Energy Efficiency Intents • Increasing Energy Efficiency Strategies • Producing Renewable Energy • Producing Renewable Energy Intents • Producing Renewable Energy Strategies • Refrigerant Management • Refrigerant Management Intents • Refrigerant Management Strategies • Ongoing Energy Performance • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 9
Materials and Resources
149
Materials and Resources • Materials and Resources Intents • Materials and Resources Strategies • Product Attributes and Disclosures • Material Conservation • Material Conservation Intents • Material Conservation Strategies • Environmentally Preferable Materials • Environmentally Preferable Materials Intents • Environmentally Preferable Materials Strategies • Waste Management • Waste Management Intents • Waste Management Strategies • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 10
Indoor Environmental Quality
167
The Indoor Environment • Baseline and Design Cases • Increasing Indoor Environmental Quality • Indoor Air Quality Intents • Indoor Air Quality Strategies • Occupant Comfort • Lighting Intents • Lighting Strategies • Acoustic Performance Intents • Acoustic Performance Strategies • Occupant Comfort, Health, and Satisfaction Intents • Occupant Comfort, Health, and Satisfaction Strategies • Space Categorization • Occupied vs. Unoccupied Spaces • Regularly vs. Nonregularly Occupied Spaces • Individual Occupant vs. Shared Multioccupant Spaces • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 11
Innovation and Regional Priority
187
Innovation • Innovation Intents • Innovation Strategies • Regional Priority • Regional Priority Intent • Regional Priority Strategies • Practice Questions
CHAPTER 12
Primary References Primary References
197
APPENDIX 223 LEED Certification Standards and References_____________________________________ LEED v4 for BD+C: New Construction and Major Renovation Checklist__________________ Sample Exam Questions______________________________________________________ Answers___________________________________________________________________
223 230 231 238
GLOSSARY 239
I NDEX 249
LEED Green Associate™ Exam Preparation Guide, LEED® v4 Edition, provides a comprehensive review of the concepts of sustainability and green building. Using this exam preparation guide in conjunction with the primary references and exam specifications will help ensure exam day success. Chapter 1 introduces the LEED Green Associate credential and explains why it is so beneficial and important to professionals in fields related to the design, construction, and operation of buildings. Chapter 2 explains the process of registering for, studying for, and taking the LEED Green Associate exam. Chapter 3 introduces many of the core concepts of the LEED v4 rating system, as well as the LEED v4 impact categories. Chapter 4 provides an overview of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and describes the structure and scope of the LEED v4 rating system, as well as how to select the appropriate rating system adaptation for a project. Chapters 5 through 11 provide a comprehensive review of the LEED v4 rating system credit categories, as well as their intents and strategies. Chapter 12 lists the important primary references that an exam candidate must study for the exam. The Appendix provides other helpful reference materials. A bank of sample exam questions in the back of the book, along with practice questions at the end of each chapter, allow an exam candidate to assess knowledge and determine areas in need of further study.
LEED® CORE CONCEPTS GUIDE The LEED® Core Concepts Guide is an important document available from USGBC (www.usgbc.org) that provides a crucial introduction to the fundamental concepts of green building. This document provides an overview of green buildings and communities, sustainable thinking, green building core concepts and application strategies, and USGBC and LEED. An exam candidate should read and understand this document because it will serve as a foundation for more advanced study of green building and the LEED rating systems. Note: Visit the USGBC website for the most current version of LEED® Core Concepts Guide and any other primary reference.
UNDERSTANDING THE TASK AND KNOWLEDGE DOMAINS The LEED Green Associate exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions that reflect task and knowledge domains. For the benefit of the exam candidate and to enhance the educational aspects of this exam preparation guide, these domains and information related to them have been incorporated throughout each chapter. Task Domains The chapters of this exam preparation guide include strategies for fulfilling the prerequisite and credit requirements of the LEED v4 rating system adaptations (specifically LEED BD+C: New Construction), as well as other information pertinent to the responsibilities and professional experiences of a LEED Green Associate. These discussions reflect the principles behind the task domains. The following task domains are integral to the materials presented in this exam preparation guide: • Communicate broad and basic green building concepts to team or colleagues. • Research and create a library of sustainable building materials. • Assist others with sustainability goals. • Create project profiles, case studies, and press releases. • Serve as a green advocate to clients, team members, and the general public. • Stay current on any updates to LEED and green strategies in general. • Navigate in LEED Online. • Assist project leader with LEED correspondence to all project team members. • Assist in managing documentation process. • Assist in managing timeline of LEED certification.
Knowledge Domains Knowledge Domains reflect the LEED v4 rating system credit categories and what one needs to know. These include concepts such as LEED process, Integrative Strategies, LEED credit categories, and Project Surroundings and Public Outreach. This exam preparation guide addresses knowledge domains and their specific components in the following chapters: • LEED Process Organization fundamentals, Structure of LEED rating systems, Scope of each LEED rating system, LEED development process, Credit categories, Impact categories, LEED certification process, Other rating systems are addressed in Chapter 4. Impact categories are also addressed in Chapter 3. • Integrative Strategies Integrative process and Integrative project team members are addressed in Chapter 3 and by the Increasing Energy Efficiency Strategies in Chapter 8. Standards that support LEED are addressed by the Baseline and Design Case discussions in Chapter 7, Chapter 8, and Chapter 10, as well as in the Appendix. • Location and Transportation Site selection is addressed by the Location Strategies, Transportation Strategies, Site Development Strategies, and Health and Livability Strategies in Chapter 5. Alternative transportation is addressed by the Transportation Strategies and the Health and Livability Strategies in Chapter 5. • Sustainable Sites Site assessment is addressed by the Site Design and Management Strategies in Chapter 6. Site design and development are addressed by the Site Design and Management Strategies, Rainwater Management Strategies, Heat Island Strategies, and Light Pollution Strategies in Chapter 6. • Water Efficiency Outdoor water use is addressed by the Reducing Outdoor Water Use Strategies in Chapter 7. Indoor water use is addressed by the Reducing Indoor Water Use Strategies in Chapter 7. Water performance management is addressed by the Reducing Indoor Water Use Strategies and Reducing Outdoor Water Use Strategies in Chapter 7. • Energy and Atmosphere Building loads are addressed by the Reducing Energy Demand Strategies and Increasing Energy Efficiency Strategies in Chapter 8. Energy efficiency is addressed by the Increasing Energy Efficiency Strategies and Refrigerant Management Strategies in Chapter 8. Alternative and renewable energy practices are addressed by the Producing Renewable Energy Strategies in Chapter 8. Energy performance management is addressed by the Reducing Energy Demand Strategies and Increasing Energy Efficiency Strategies in Chapter 8. Environmental concerns are addressed by the Reducing Energy Demand Strategies, Increasing Energy Efficiency Strategies, Producing Renewable Energy Strategies, and Refrigerant Management Strategies in Chapter 8.
• Materials and Resources Reuse is addressed by the Materials and Resources Strategies, Material Conservation Strategies in Chapter 9. Life-cycle impacts are addressed by the Materials and Resources Strategies, Material Conservation Strategies, and Environmentally Preferable Materials Strategies in Chapter 9. Waste is addressed by the Materials and Resources Strategies, Environmentally Preferable Materials Strategies, and Waste Management Strategies in Chapter 9. Purchasing and declarations are addressed by the Materials and Resources Strategies and Environmentally Preferable Materials Strategies in Chapter 9. • Indoor Environmental Quality Indoor air quality is addressed by the Indoor Air Quality Strategies in Chapter 10. Lighting is addressed by the Lighting Strategies in Chapter 10. Sound is addressed by the Acoustic Performance Strategies in Chapter 10. Occupant comfort, health, and satisfaction are addressed by the Occupant Comfort, Health, and Satisfaction Strategies in Chapter 10. • Project Surroundings and Public Outreach Environmental impacts of the built environment are addressed by the discussions of Global Climate Change and the Triple Bottom Line in Chapter 3 and the Innovation Strategies in Chapter 11, as well as in the intents and strategies of the rating system categories in Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, and Chapter 9. Codes are addressed by LEED and Building Codes in Chapter 4. Values of sustainable design are addressed by the discussions of the Life-Cycle Approach and Cost of Green Building in Chapter 3, the Heat Island Strategies in Chapter 6, Environmental Preferable Materials in Chapter 9, and the Innovation Strategies in Chapter 11. Regional design is addressed by the Site Design and Management Strategies and Rainwater Management Strategies in Chapter 6, the Materials and Resources Strategies and Environmentally Preferable Materials Intents in Chapter 9, and Regional Priority Strategies in Chapter 11.
The ability to efficiently navigate and access online resources is an important facet of using LEED Green Associate™ Exam Preparation Guide, LEEDŽ v4 Edition, for its greatest educational benefit. USGBC Website The USGBC website is home to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the most recognized and widely used green building certification program in the world. The USGBC website includes materials and articles related to LEED v4. An exam candidate should gain familiarity with the USGBC website by navigating through its different pages to understand how and where to access its resources.
This exam preparation guide also provides the candidate with specific addresses to pages on the USGBC website through intext references and Quick Response (QR) code technology. QR codes located throughout the exam preparation guide offer easy access to related information on the Internet via mobile device technology. To access content using a QR code, follow these steps: 1. Download a QR code reader app to a mobile device. (Visit atplearning.com/QR for more information.) 2. Open the app and scan the QR code on the book page. 3. Instantly access the digital content.
LEED Online LEED Online (www.usgbc.org/leedonline.new) is the place to streamline LEED project management experience, organize work, and engage with whole team projects. LEED users and professionals can register projects, track credits, add and assign project team members, submit applications for review, and receive certification, all in real time. It is important for exam candidates to know how to navigate and use this quick, simple, and efficient tool.
Education @USGBC Education @USGBC is an online platform featuring best-in-class courses and educational content related to sustainability and LEED. The platform includes courses created by USGBC as well as courses created by USGBC Education Partners. USGBC Education Partners are education leaders and reputable content providers of green building and sustainability education who have the resources, knowledge, and skills to produce best-in-class education. Education @USGBC can be accessed on the USGBC website (www.usgbc.org/education-at-usgbc).
LEED Green Associate™ Exam Preparation Guide, LEED® v4 Edition, includes digital resources that enhance chapter concepts and promote learning. These digital resources can be accessed by either of the following methods:
• keying ATPeResources.com/QuickLinks into a web browser and entering the QuickLink™ code: 530408 • using a QR code reader app to scan the QR code with a mobile device
Digital Resources included with the guide: • Quick Quizzes® that provide interactive questions for each chapter with embedded links to highlighted content within the textbook and to the Illustrated Glossary • An Illustrated Glossary that defines commonly used terms and provides links to interactive illustrations for selected terms • Flash Cards that provide a self-study/review tool for exam preparation in interactive and Print&Cut™ formats • A Practice Exam offers an assessment of knowledge with typical exam questions • A Media Library that consists of video clips and animated graphics of selected topics • ATPeResources.com, which provides access to online reference materials for continued learning