LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Developed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), this program is designed to inform and guide all types of professionals who work with structures to create or convert spaces to environmental sustainability. This includes architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, private sector executives and government officials. Proposed changes to LEED standards are offered and publicly reviewed by USGBC member organizations, which number nearly 20,000. From 1994 to 2006, LEED transitioned from a standard for new construction to a comprehensive system of related standards covering all aspects of the development and construction process. LEED has also grown from six volunteers on one committee to more than 200 volunteers on nearly 20 committees and nearly 150 professionals. LEED standards have been applied to more than 7,000 projects in the United States and 30 countries, covering more than 1.5 billion square feet of development area. An example of these projects is 1225 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC, the first renovated office building on the East Coast of the United States to receive LEED Platinum status. Participation in the LEED program was designed to be voluntary and can be applied to any type of building at any stage of construction, although in recent years this program has been used as part of the building code and permitting process and therefore has been made more mandatory as discussed below. LEED certification is the recognized standard for measuring the sustainability of buildings. For most projects, there are four levels of LEED certification, depending on how you man...... middle of paper ......at the Construction Review, which is also optional, reviewers will evaluate the clarifications submitted for credits examined in the Preliminary Construction Review. After you submit your application, certification is the final step in the LEED review process. There are four levels of certification, the number of points earned by a project determines the level of LEED certification the project will receive. Typical certification thresholds are: certified; which is 40-49 points, silver; which is 50-59 points, gold; which is 60-79 points, or platinum which is 80 points or higher. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design In my opinion a building should be LEED certified because LEED is about the design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings, homes and green neighborhoods. Green buildings are more energy efficient and overall save money.