LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

 

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is an internationally recognized certification system that measures how well a building or community performs across these metrics: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. 

LEED applies to virtually all building types -- commercial as well as residential. It works throughout the building lifecycle -- design and construction, operations and maintenance, tenant fitout and significant retrofit. (Source: USGBC / Photo: Flickr)