LCCG: Section 1

Question 1

What are the (4) effects of conventional practices in our building industry that have an impact on our human health, environment, and the economy?

Answer 1

1. Clearing land for development destroys wildlife habitat
2. Extracting, manufacturing and transporting materials pollute water and release toxic chemicals and emit greenhouse gases
3. Building operations require large quantities of energy and water and generate waste streams
4. Transportation by commuters and service providers compound harmful environmental effects associated with vehicle use

Question 2

Buildings account for ___% of all carbon dioxide emissions

Answer 2

38%

Question 3

What is a Green Building?

Answer 3

Encompasses planning, design, construction, operations, and end-of-life recycling or renewal of structures. It pursues solutions that represent a healthy and dynamic balance between environmental, social, and economic benefits.

Question 4

Sustainability

5 factors

Answer 4

Creating places that are environmentally responsible, healthful, just, equitable, and profitable.

Question 5

Triple Bottom Line

Answer 5

A long-term view for assessing potential effects and best practices for 3 kinds of resources:

• People (social responsibility)
• Planet (environmental stewardship)
• Profit (economic prosperity)

Question 6

Externalities

Answer 6

used by economists to describe costs or benefits incurred by parties who are not part of a transaction. i.e. purchase of car does not account for wear & tear of public roads or pollution it puts into the environment

Question 7

People spend on average ___% of their time indoors.

Answer 7

90%!

Question 8

What is the mission of USGBC?

Answer 8

“to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life”

Question 9

____ and ____ are responsible for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 9

buildings / land-use

Question 10

___ accounts for more than 2/3 of all greenhouse gas emissions

Answer 10

the built environment (including buildings and transportation systems)

Question 11

How to achieve emission reductions other than building design and costruction?

Answer 11

Building location. i.e. if an office building is located in the suburbs, the emissions from transportation make up a considerable amount of emissions associated with the building. this decreases if the building is next to public transportation or micro-mobility networks.

Question 12

(3) Common sources of Federal Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Answer 12

1. Sources owned/controlled by Federal agency (i.e. vehicles + equipment, facilities, landfill + wastewater treatment)
2. Generation of electricity, heat, or steam
3. Sources NOT owned/controlled by Federal agency but related to agency activities (i.e. business travel, employee commuting, waste disposal, wastewater treatment)

Question 13

What are some factors to consider when creating Green Building Goals?

Answer 13

• carbon emissions
• indoor air quality
• human health
• habitat protection

Question 14

For an average office building in the US, __% more energy is expended by office workers commuting to and from the building than is consumed by the building itself for heating, cooling, lighting, and other energy uses.

Answer 14

30%

Question 15

Building commissioning

Answer 15

The process of verifying and documenting that a building and all its systems and assemblies are planned designed, installed, tested, operated, and maintained to meet the owner’s project requirements

Question 16

Retrocommissioning

Answer 16

tuning up a building when inefficiencies in a building are identified and restores high levels of performance

Question 17

Adaptive reuse

Answer 17

Practice of redesigning and using a structure for a sue that is significantly different from the building’s original use

Question 18

Once road networks are established, they can remain fixed for ____ (time).

Answer 18

centuries!

Question 19

(3) Factors of location when designing a green building

Answer 19

• Natural Context (climate, orientation, land)
• Infrastructural Context (available resources, connection to utilities)
• Social Context (connection to community, local priorities, cultural history + traditions)

Question 20

Regenerative projects/buildings

Answer 20

sustainable environments evolve with living systems and contribute to the long-term renewal of resources and life (i.e. improves existing systems like water cleaner than originally found).

Question 21

Net-zero

Answer 21

Use no more resources than they can produce. (i.e. they can be connected to a grid and provide energy in return or be off the grid entirely and strive for carbon neutrality.)

Question 22

Measured performance areas of Green Building include? (5 items)

Answer 22

Energy Use
Operating Costs
Water Use
Occupant Satisfaction
Carbon Emissions

Question 23

Built Environment

Answer 23

any environment that is man-made and provides a structure for human activity

Question 24

In green buildings, average energy use intensities are __% lower than typical buildings.

Answer 24

24%

Question 25

The green building process and LEED rating systems first focused on environmental metrics but are expanding to encourage indicators from which (2) other areas?

Answer 25

Social Justice & Public Health

Question 26

Main principles of passive building design?

Answer 26

Capturing sunlight and wind for natural lighting, heating, and cooling

Question 27

The USGBC provides rating systems for what types of buildings?

Answer 27

Neighborhoods, Offices, Schools, and Retail.