What is LEED and why is it important?

     St. Aloysius Parish Center is being designed and constructed to meet the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification program.  The project is targeting a Silver level LEED certification concentrating sustainability efforts on the project’s site, water use, energy consumption, materials use, waste management, indoor air quality, occupant comfort and green operation practices.  The project team is working close with the pastor and parish members to evaluate as many options as possible to maximize the building’s sustainability potential.  Key measures being designed into the building include specifying high efficiency lighting and lighting controls, exceeding the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning (ASHREA) energy efficiency guidelines, designing the building mechanical systems to provide the ASHRAE recommended amount of minimum outside air to the interior of the building, and reduce the building’s water usage through efficient landscaping and efficient water fixtures.  Additionally, the building will be specified to include low-emitting materials, recycled materials, locally supplied materials, responsibly harvested wood materials and a combination of a highly reflective roof and green roof will be installed.

     The project will be utilizing the advantages of the Chicago Department of Building’s Green Permit program.  The program allows projects that incorporate innovative green building strategies to submit documentation for an expedited permit process.

A Message from Fr. Nick:

     LEED certification is an official process that certifies a building meets the latest environmental standards and was built using materials and equipment which do not harm our earth. Having your building LEED certified means that an official agency has approved the materials and construction process separate from city and state requirements. While LEED certification is not necessary to build in the City of Chicago, we feel that it is important as Catholics to be good stewards of our environment and to be an example for others on how to care for the earth's resources.  There are different levels of certification which begin at base certification all the way up to "platinum." Because the certification process is a separate agency, there is a fee to obtain LEED certification.  This fee increases with each level of certification.  While we will attempt to construct our building at the gold or higher level, we will apply for only a silver LEED certification.  A silver certification demonstrates our significant commitment to environmental stewardship while not spending the excessive amounts of money required for higher levels of certification.  While some may question spending any of our precious resources at all simply to have the building LEED certified, the process does guarantee us and the community that our new center meets the strict requirements and standards of proper environmental stewardship.