Avoiding Airborne Contaminants in LEED-Certified Buildings: Maintaining a Healthy Indoor Environment for LEED Green Associates

Indoor air quality (IAQ) plays a crucial role in the health, comfort, and productivity of building occupants. One of the most effective ways to ensure good IAQ is through source control, a strategy that emphasizes eliminating or reducing pollutant sources at their origin.

The USGBC LEED Green Associate certification, a globally recognized standard for sustainable building practices, places a strong focus on this method. By understanding and implementing source control strategies, professionals can demonstrate a foundational understanding of green building principles and practices.

Source control strategies are proactive measures designed to maintain a healthier indoor environment. These strategies include using low-emitting materials, installing local exhaust ventilation, sealing combustion appliances, implementing green cleaning practices, and prohibiting smoking.

Another important source control strategy is proper ventilation and exhaust, especially in areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and rooms with combustion appliances. By ensuring that these areas are properly ventilated, pollutants can be effectively controlled before they spread throughout the building.

Establishing a stringent cleaning protocol to prevent buildup of pollutants is another effective source control strategy. This involves identifying and addressing the sources of pollutants within the building and implementing measures to prevent their accumulation.

Using walk-off mats and grates at entrances to capture pollutants tracked in on shoes is another practical source control strategy. By preventing pollutants from entering the building in the first place, the amount of pollutants that need to be managed is significantly reduced.

While testing for specific pollutants, monitoring CO2 levels, and removing pollutants that do enter are important, they are largely reactive measures. Proactively eliminating and controlling pollutants at their source is the top priority and most impactful way to maintain healthy indoor air quality.

By implementing source control strategies, building owners and managers can create a healthier, more sustainable, and more productive indoor environment for their occupants. The LEED Green Building Rating System, with its focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability, provides a comprehensive framework for implementing these strategies and achieving high-performance green buildings.

Avoiding Airborne Contaminants in LEED-Certified Buildings: Maintaining a Healthy Indoor Environment for LEED Green Associates