Newsletter Stories


Saturday, 03 March 2012
The Stakes in LEED 2012

When it comes from a responsibly managed, FSC-certified forest, wood is one of the most environmentally friendly building materials. Combine this with the fact that the Certified Wood Credit in LEED has been one of the single most important drivers of forest conservation ever and the conclusion is clear: There is a lot at stake for forests in LEED 2012.


With more than 1.5 billion square feet of buildings in the LEED pipeline, and many more to come, the changes made to the rating system today are certain to have lasting impact. Will LEED adopt standards that enhance forest ecosystems, conserve wildlife habitat and protect drinking water? Or will wood harvested from destructive forestry be credited as “green”?

As an organization protecting forests for future generations, the Forest Stewardship Council has been working hard to ensure LEED 2012 maintains a high bar for wood products. We do this work as part of a large and growing coalition of environmental, design and certification leaders.

In the weeks ahead, we will be actively working to grow the coalition of leadership organizations who endorse the consensus statement, “Driving Leadership in Performance and Disclosure in LEED 2012”. We have been heartened by the enthusiasm for this statement, and the broad support for the issues it articulates.

If you would like your organization to be added as a signatory to the consensus statement, please email info@us.fsc.org to let us know.

And thank you for your ongoing commitment to the Forest Stewardship Council and to the work we all do every day to grow a responsible forest economy.

Sincerely, 
Corey Brinkema
President