What makes a building 'green'? Beyond the various standards that can be placed upon infrastructure, maintenance, and development, the official standards are represented with LEED certification.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a metric for building 'green' [sustainable] architecture. With metrics that provide expectations for efficiency and economic resilience, an assortment of ESG (environment, society, government) factors are supported. Various projects around the world rely on LEED certification to represent sustainability; as a widely recognized benchmark, the drive towards global sustainability is strongly represented through the advent of LEED buildings. [1]

Specifically, two main goals represented in the LEED certification are carbon efficiency and equitable design. Beyond building construction and maintenance, LEED certifications have been seen in neighborhoods, homes, and apartments. With the goal of helping businesses, the environment, and people, the following goals are expressed:

- reduce climate change

- enhance human health

- protect/restore water resources

- protect biodiversity + ecosystem services

- promote sustainable material cycles

- enhance overall quality of life

There was considerable growth in LEED projects throughout 2017-2021, with just under 37000 new certifications in those four years. Retail projects found the greatest rate of growth increase, with 35% increases [2]. Overall, greater exposure to building certifications means that sustainable environmental design may become a priority for future construction and management. With this industry contributing highly to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, this is a wonderful new change in global perception.

[1] https://www.usgbc.org/leed

[2] https://www.usgbc.org/articles/leed-data-trends-past-five-years