LEED Green Associate study guide
LEED Green Associate · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The LEED Green Associate is a professional credential offered through the U.S. Green Building Council and GBCI for people who want to demonstrate general knowledge of green building practices and the ability to support others working on LEED projects. The LEED Green Associate study guide has 9 sections and about 2,994 words.
01LEED Process
LEED certifies projects , not people or products. A project selects a rating system family - Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Operations and Maintenance (O+M), Neighborhood Development (ND), or Homes - and then a specific adaptation (schools, retail, healthcare, data centers, warehouses, hospitality) where one exists.
345 words, about 2 min02Integrative Strategies
Integrative strategies reward teams that treat a building as a system rather than a stack of unrelated checklists. The formal vehicle is the Integrative Process credit , worth 1 point in BD+C and ID+C.
352 words, about 2 min03Location and Transportation
Location and Transportation rewards projects sited where the need to drive is low and existing infrastructure is used. Key credits include LEED for Neighborhood Development location, High Priority Site, Surrounding Density and Diverse Uses, Access to Quality Transit, Bicycle Facilities, Reduced Parking Footprint, and Green Vehicles.
347 words, about 2 min04Sustainable Sites
Sustainable Sites covers site selection effects and construction-era impacts. There is exactly one prerequisite: Construction Activity Pollution Prevention , requiring an erosion and sedimentation control plan that meets the EPA Construction General Permit or the local equivalent, whichever is stricter.
328 words, about 2 min05Water Efficiency
Water Efficiency has three prerequisites in BD+C: Outdoor Water Use Reduction (roughly 30% below baseline, or no potable irrigation), Indoor Water Use Reduction (about 20% below baseline), and Building-Level Water Metering . Credits then stack on top with deeper reductions, cooling tower water use, and advanced metering.
315 words, about 2 min06Energy and Atmosphere
Energy and Atmosphere carries the most points and four prerequisites: Fundamental Commissioning and Verification , Minimum Energy Performance , Building-Level Energy Metering , and Fundamental Refrigerant Management . Minimum Energy Performance uses ASHRAE 90.1 as the baseline and requires a modest improvement for new construction, with a lower threshold for major renovations.
337 words, about 2 min07Materials and Resources
Materials and Resources rewards thinking in a life-cycle way. Two prerequisites apply: Storage and Collection of Recyclables (a dedicated, accessible area sized to the waste stream) and Construction and Demolition Waste Management Planning .
318 words, about 2 min08Indoor Environmental Quality
Indoor Environmental Quality has two prerequisites: Minimum Indoor Air Quality Performance (ventilation designed to ASHRAE 62.1) and Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control - no smoking inside, and prohibition within about 25 feet (7.5 m) of entrances, outdoor air intakes, and operable windows. Credits include Enhanced Indoor Air Quality Strategies (entryway systems, filtration, isolation rooms, increased ventilation), Low-Emitting Materials , Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan, Indoor Air Quality Assessment, Thermal Comfort, Interior Lighting, Daylight, Quality Views, and Acoustic Performance.
327 words, about 2 min09Project Surroundings and Public Outreach
A building is never judged in isolation. This domain asks you to reason about off-site effects - traffic, noise, light spill, stormwater, views, and community character - and about how the project communicates its green intentions.
325 words, about 2 min