LEED v4 Core Concepts and Themes Flashcards
Closed system
A system in which materials and resources are reused or recycled
Cradle to cradle
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
Cradle to grave
A term applied to a product if its lifetime is limited to one application or use, ending in a landfill
Downstream activity
An activity related to the processing of materials all the way through to the delivery of the final product to the end user
Embodied energy
The total amount of energy used to extract materials and manufacture, transport, install and use a product across its life cycle
Feedback loop
The section of a system that allows for feedback and self-correct and adjusts its operation according to differences between the actual output and the desired output
Integrative process
A design process in which multidisciplinary teams collaborate to meet sustainable design objectives from the inception of a project to its completion
Integrative process phases
- Discovery
- Design and construction
- Occupancy, operations, performance feedback
Iterative process
A process used in design that involves conducting research, sharing data, reviving feedback and refining the design repeatedly until all of a project’s sustainable goals are met
Iterative process cycle
- Research
- Analysis
- Meeting
Leverage point
A point in a system in which a small change can yield large results
Life-cycle assessment (LCA)
An assessment of the environmental impacts associated with a material or product throughout its life cycle
Life cycle costing (LCC)
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
Negative feedback loop
A section of a system in which the system self-corrects and stays within a particular set of parameters
Open system
A system in which materials and resources are continually brought in from the outside, consumed and then removed from the system as waste
Positive feedback loop
A section of a system in which the output of the system is applied to the input, resulting in constant increases
Prius effect
The effect of changed behavior as a result of making information about a subject more visible and available
Regenerative building
A closed system that uses only as much water and energy as it can produce
LEED v4 impact categories (7)
- Reverse contribution to global climate change
- Enhance individual human health and well-being
- Protect and restore water resources
- Protect, enhance and restore biodiversity and ecosystem services
- Promote sustainable and regenerative material resources cycles
- Build a greener economy
- Enhance social equity, environmental justice and community quality of life
Triple bottom line
A concept that involves the social, environmental and economic dimensions of an organization in its decision making so that the bottom line for all parties can be increased
