I am writing this article for this month's topic on Engineering and environment.

LEED is acronym for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design. It is a green building certification program. LEED certification categorizes the building projects under different levels of certification assigning points to various parameters. Prerequisites and credits differ for each rating system, and teams can choose the best one appropriate for their project.

LEED stands for green building leadership and LEED is transforming the way how buildings are designed, constructed, maintained and operated. LEED certified buildings save resources and greatly improve the health of occupants by promoting renewable, clean energy. This reduces global warming and saves a lot of money through the use of such buildings as well as through the better health of the communities around them.

Canada followed by China occupy the top two slots in the ranking of the top 10 countries for LEED outside the US. India has been ranked third on the list of top 10 countries followed by South Korea in the fourth position according to the latest US Green Building Council(USGBC) report announced recently. This is based on cumulative gross square meters (GSM) of space certified to LEED in each nation as of April 2014.

The report says "the list demonstrates the global reach of the movement that is transforming the building environment into healthy, high-performing structures that benefit the planet and its people. The global community is increasingly recognizing the imperative for action as we combat the extraordinary challenge of worldwide climate change. LEED's success across a wide variety of cultures, climates and communities represents not only a growing recognition of its demonstrated benefits for human health and operational cost savings, but also its unparalleled potential to be part of the solution to a warming planet and rising sea levels," as per Rick Fedrizzi, president and CEO of USGBC.