What is LEED?
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Developed by USGBC, LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED is a practical rating tool for green building design and construction that provides immediate and measurable results for building owners and occupants. LEED is the most widely accepted green building system.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization committed to expanding sustainable building practices.
Are VT countertops LEED certified?
Single products cannot be LEED certified, only a project can achieve LEED certification. Our products are not LEED certified, they assist in achieving LEED certification for a building.
How does VT Industries assist with LEED certification?
VT countertop can help a customer who has a project seeking LEED certification. Our products can help achieve points under Materials & Resources and Indoor Air Quality categories. Specifically to achieve points Recycled Content and Regional Materials under Materials & Resources (MR) category. Also achieve points for Low-Emitting Materials under the Indoor Air Quality (EQ) category.
What qualifies for LEED?
The substrate material qualifies our countertops for LEED credit assistance. Our substrate materials decrease the demand on forests for new wood materials by using recycled materials in our substrates, promote local economy and reduce transportation impacts by using local materials, and create healthy indoor environments by using low-emitting products - not having known carcinogens present in large quantities in your building or home.
Does LEED help with financing for the project?
Many states and municipalities offer incentives for incorporating green building strategies, including tax breaks and funding opportunities.
What does LEED certification mean to a building project?
A LEED building project has the following benefits:
- Reduced negative environmental impacts associated with constructing a new building.
- Decreased operating costs from efficient HVAC, lighting, on site renewable energy.
- Healthy indoor environment increases worker productivity, reduces absenteeism from sickness, and reduces liability from indoor air quality problems.
- Companies can use green workplace to recruit talented workers, by showing they are a progressive company that cares about their environment and their work force.
- Increases market presence with added press received from a local and national media.
- Recycling programs decrease landfill demands.
Are VT Fine Laminate Countertops GREENGUARD certified?
All of our countertops have been GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified. EQcountertops have been GREENGUARD Children & Schools (C&S) Certified. Because Children are more heavily exposed to environmental toxins than adults, they consume more food, water, and have higher inhalation rates per pound of body weight than adults. To account for inhalation exposure to young children with greater sensitivities C&S standards are more stringent. For more information on the GREENGUARD Certification Program emission standards or to view VT compliance certificates visit www.greenguard.org.
What is GREENGUARD Certification?
The GREENGUARD Certification ProgramSM is an industry-independent, third-party testing program for low-emitting products and materials. Their standards are among the most stringent indoor air quality standards in the world. GREENGUARD performance based standards define goods with low chemical and particle emissions for use indoors, primarily building materials, interior furnishings, furniture, cleaning and maintenance products, electronic equipment, and personal care products. GREENGUARD testing evaluates more than 75,000 chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carcinogens and reproductive toxins. GREENGUARD meet the standards of many green building programs, including: LEED for Schools, Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS), and Green Guide for Healthcare (GGHC)
