USGBC and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation have teamed up to
provide a new LEED pilot credit for Water Restoration Certificates.
A Water Restoration Certificate® (WRC) provides an innovative approach
that facilitates large-scale water stewardship with outcomes, including
conservation, restoration and improved water management. WRCs provide similar
opportunities to what the Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) does for energy
and give LEED® projects an avenue to achieve water stewardship goals, balance
their water footprint, and help achieve water security
In 2014, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) approached the
U.S. Green Building Council® (USGBC) with the idea of incorporating WRCs into
LEED. After almost two years of work that included the contributions of BEF,
LEED committees (Water Efficiency Technical Advisory Group, Pilot Credit
Committee, LEED Steering Committee) and LEED staff, USGBC launched Pilot Credit
110: Water Restoration Certificates. It is available in both LEED 2009 and LEED
v4, and encourages LEED projects to enhance natural watershed ecosystems,
restore wetlands and damaged watersheds, sustain biodiversity, promote healthy
plants and biological communities and increase natural water storage and
infiltration.
The WRCs from BEF are first-of-their-kind tools for businesses to
restore their operational, manufacturing or supply-chain water footprint,
gallon for gallon, to benefit critically depleted ecosystems. As the only
provider of WRCs in the United States, BEF manages a growing and diverse
project portfolio. Each WRC represents 1,000 gallons of water restored from
watershed projects, helping directly restore the economic and ecological
vitality of freshwater ecosystems such as rivers, streams, wetlands,
groundwater aquifers and lakes.
Read more on... A
new LEED pilot credit for Water Restoration Certificates
Author: Val Fishman
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