Chapter 3 - LEED v4 Core Concepts & Themes

Question 1

closed system

Answer 1

A system in which materials and resources are reused or recycled.

Question 2

cradle to cradle

Answer 2

A term applied to a product if a new use can be applied to it after the end of its first useful life, diverting it from a landfill.

Question 3

cradle to grave

Answer 3

A product whose lifetime is limited to one application or use, ending in a landfill.

Question 4

downstream activity

Answer 4

An activity related to the processing of materials all the way through to the delivery of the final product to the end user.

Question 5

________ energy is the total amount of energy used to extract materials and manufacture, transport, install, and use a product

Answer 5

embodied

Question 6

feedback loop

Answer 6

The section of a system that allows for feedback and self-correction and adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output.

Question 7

integrative process

Answer 7

A new credit in LEED v4 that encourages early analysis of energy, site, and water systems to inform design.

A design process in which multidisciplinary teams collaborate to meet sustainable design objectives from the inception of a project to its completion.

Question 8

iterative process

Answer 8

A process used in design involves conducting research, sharing data, receiving feedback, and refining the design repeatedly until all of a project’s sustainable goals are met.

Question 9

A ________ point is a point in a system in which a small change can yield large results

Answer 9

leverage point

Question 10

life-cycle assessment (LCA)

Answer 10

An assessment of the environmental impacts associated with a material or product throughout its life cycle.

Question 11

life-cycle costing (LCC)

Answer 11

An analytic tool used to determine the most cost-effective option among competing alternatives based on the costs of the options throughout their life cycles.

Question 12

negative feedback loop

Answer 12

A section of a system in which the system self-corrects and stays within a particular set of parameters.

Question 13

open system

Answer 13

A system in which materials and resources brought in from the outside, consumed, and then removed from the system as waste.

Question 14

positive feedback loop

Answer 14

A section of a system in which the output of the system is applied to the input, resulting in constant increases.

Question 15

Prius effect

Answer 15

The effect of changed behavior because of making information about a subject more visible and available.

Question 16

regenerative building

Answer 16

A closed system that uses only as much water and energy as it can produce.

Question 17

triple bottom line

Answer 17

An accounting framework that incorporates the social, environmental, and economic dimensions of an organization.

Question 18

upstream activity

Answer 18

An activity related to the extraction of the raw materials used in a product.

Question 19

In LEED 2009, credit weightings focused on reducing environmental problems, whereas LEED v4 impact categories answer the question:

Answer 19

“What should a LEED project accomplish?”

Question 20

seven impact categories

Answer 20

1. Reverse Contribution to Global Climate Change
2. Enhance Individual Human Health and Well-Being
3. Protect and Restore Water Resources
4. Protect, Enhance and Restore Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
5. Promote Sustainable and Regenerative Material Resources Cycles
6. Build a Greener Economy
7. Enhance Social Equity, Environmental Justice, and Community Quality of Life

Question 21

The Montreal Protocol banned the production of ___________ refrigerants.

Answer 21

CFC

The Montreal Protocol, 1987, banned production of CFC refrigerants and began phasing out HCFC refrigerants.