Pass the USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) LEED-Green-Associate Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

The Full Time Equivalent (FTE) occupancy of a project is a measure of how many people occupy a building or space on a regular basis. The FTE occupancy is calculated by dividing the total number of hours worked by all occupants in a week by the standard weekly hours for one FTE occupant. Thestandard weekly hours for one FTE occupant is typically 40 hours per week1 . For this project, the FTE occupancy is calculated as follows:

16 employees x 4 hours/day x 5 days/week = 320 hours/week 20 employees x 6 hours/day x 5 days/week = 600 hours/week 10 employees x 8 hours/day x 5 days/week = 400 hours/week Total hours/week = 1320 hours/week FTE occupancy = 1320 hours/week / 40hours/week = 33 Therefore, the FTE occupancy of the project is 33. References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide

A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a strategy that can help an owner of newly acquired land design a building that uses materials that have minimal impact on the environment. An LCA is a method that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or material over its entire life cycle, from extraction to disposal. An LCA can measure the impacts on various categories, such as energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation. An LCA can help compare different products or materials based on theirenvironmental performance and select the ones that have the lowest impact13. References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, EPA’s Life CycleAssessment3

Recycling is a strategy that can be used to reduce the amount of construction waste that is sent to landfills or incinerators. Recycling involves collecting, sorting, processing, and reusing or selling materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste. Recycling can save natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and lowerdisposal costs1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, EPA’s Recycling Basics

Open grid pavement, also known as permeable pavement, allows water to drain through it, reducing runoff and recharging groundwater supplies. It also tends to be lighter in color than traditional asphalt, which means it absorbs less heat from sunlight. This helps to reduce the urban heat island effect, which is a phenomenon where urban areas are significantly warmer than their rural surroundings due to human activities. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, U.S. Green Building Council resources

LEED uses specific ASHRAE standards for energy and indoor air quality:

“ASHRAE 90.1-2010 is used for Minimum Energy Performance...”

“ASHRAE 62.1-2010 is used for Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance...”

SMACNA is related to construction air quality, not performance standards.

Utilizing an existing community nature path connecting the building to surrounding buildings is an action that promotes pedestrian access to a project site. Pedestrian access is the ability of people to walk to and from a project site safely and comfortably. A community nature path is a type of pedestrian infrastructure that provides a pleasant and scenic route for walking, as well as environmental benefits such as habitat creation, stormwater management, and heat island reduction. The other options are not actions that promote pedestrian access to a project site.Placing a low speed limit in the parking lot around the building is an action that enhances pedestrian safety within the project site, but does not improve pedestrian access to the project site. Providing shuttle access between the project site and a local transit center is an action that encourages alternative transportation, but does not promote pedestrian access to the project site. Designating parking spaces closest to the building for exclusive use by carpooling vehicles is an action that reduces vehicle trips and emissions, but does not promote pedestrian access to the project site. References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 30; USGBC, [Location & Transportation], page 3.

The increase in air temperature in a developed area resulting from the dark surfaces of roadways, parking lots, and tarred rooftops is known as heat island effect. Heat island effect is a phenomenon whereby urban areas experience higher temperatures than rural areas due to the absorption and re-emission of solar heat by man-made surfaces. Heat island effect can have negative impacts on human health, energy consumption, air quality, and climate change. Some strategies to reduce heat island effect include increasing vegetation cover, using reflective or green roofs, using cool or permeable pavements, and enhancing natural ventilation.

LEED certification is awarded based on the number of points a project earns across several categories of green building performance. The range of points required to achieve LEED Silver is 50-59, out of a possible 110 points. The other levels of LEED certification are: Certified (40-49 points), Gold (60-79 points), and Platinum (80 or more points)12. Therefore, if a project initially has 34 credit points,it would need 20 additional points to reach the minimum threshold for LEED Silver. References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide2

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental organization that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. FSC sets standards for forest management that ensure environmental, social, and economic benefits for present and future generations. FSC also certifies forest products that meet its standards through a chain of custody system that tracks the origin and processing of the products. A wood product that is certified by FSC is guaranteed to be harvested from a well-managed source that protects biodiversity, respects indigenous rights, maintains forest productivity, and supports local communities1 . References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, FSC’s What We Do

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a third-party verification organization that certifies forest products that are sourced from responsibly managed forests that meet environmental, social, and economic standards12. FSC-certified wood products are considered environmentally preferable products under the LEED v4 Materials and Resources category, as they reduce the negative impacts of deforestation, habitat loss, and biodiversity loss34.

What is FSC? | FSC International1

Forest Stewardship Council - Wikipedia2

LEED v4: Building Design + Construction Guide - U.S. Green Building Council3

Credit’s Supporting LEED’s Materials and Resources Category | Legrand4