LEED-GREEN-ASSOCIATE Practice Questions

Pervious paving, also known as permeable paving, allows water to pass through it, facilitating the

recharging of aquifers. This type of paving reduces runoff by allowing water to soak into the ground,

which can help replenish groundwater supplies and reduce the impact on nearby water

bodies. Reference: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, U.S. Green Building Council resources

ASHRAE 62.1 is the standard for ventilation and acceptable indoor air quality in commercial and

institutional buildings. It specifies the minimum ventilation rates and other measures to provide

good indoor air quality for occupants. LEED v4

ASHRAE 62.1 as a prerequisite for the

Indoor Environmental Quality credit category.

Reference:

ASHRAE 62.1 from the LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 18.

Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) from the WBDG website, section on Adequate

Ventilation and Exhaust.

Selecting native plants to provide habitat for local fauna is a strategy that a design team should

consider in order to decrease the impact of a new construction project. Native plants are plants that

have evolved in a specific region and have adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. Native

plants can offer many benefits for the environment, such as:

Reducing water use and runoff by requiring less irrigation and fertilization

Enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services by supporting native wildlife and pollinators

Improving air quality and mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing

greenhouse gas emissions

Increasing soil health and stability by preventing erosion and improving infiltration

Creating a sense of place and cultural identity by reflecting the natural heritage of the region

The other options are not strategies that would decrease the impact of a new construction project.

Maximizing views of the existing wetland may improve occupant satisfaction, but it does not

necessarily reduce the environmental footprint of the project. Locating the project in an existing

office park with ample parking may reduce land use and transportation impacts, but it may also

increase heat island effect and stormwater runoff. Increasing the project’s footprint to maximize roof

space for a solar array may increase renewable energy generation, but it may also increase site

disturbance, material use, and energy demand. Reference: : Native Plants

The Full Time Equivalent (FTE) occupancy of a project is a measure of how many people occupy a

building or space on a regular basis. The FTE occupancy is calculated by dividing the total number of

hours worked by all occupants in a week by the standard weekly hours for one FTE occupant. The

standard weekly hours for one FTE occupant is typically 40 hours per week1 . For this project, the FTE

occupancy is calculated as follows:

16 employees x 4 hours/day x 5 days/week = 320 hours/week 20 employees x 6 hours/day x 5

days/week = 600 hours/week 10 employees x 8 hours/day x 5 days/week = 400 hours/week Total

hours/week = 1320 hours/week FTE occupancy = 1320 hours/week / 40 hours/week = 33 Therefore,

the FTE occupancy of the project is 33. Reference: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1,

LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide

LEED certification is awarded based on the number of points a project earns across several categories

of green building performance. The range of points required to achieve the Certified level of

certification for the commercial LEED Rating System is 40-49, out of a possible 110 points. The other

levels of LEED certification are: Silver (50-59 points), Gold (60-79 points), and Platinum (80 or more

points)12. Reference: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, LEED v4 BD+C Reference

Guide2

Placing grilles, grates or mats at all major entrances is an example of permanent entryway systems

used to reduce dust, dirt and contaminants brought into a facility. Permanent entryway systems are

designed to capture dirt and particulates from people’s shoes and prevent them from entering the

indoor environment. This improves the indoor air quality and reduces the need for cleaning and

maintenance. The LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook states that one of the strategies for

achieving indoor environmental quality is to “use permanent entryway systems (grilles, grates, mats)

to reduce particulate matter being brought into buildings at regular entryways” [1, p.

16]. Reference: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, [Indoor Environmental Quality | U.S.

Green Building Council]

The amount of landfill-destined waste generated during project construction can be reduced by

requiring the general contractor to follow requirements for using dimensional construction

materials, prefabrication or material efficient framing. These methods reduce the amount of

material waste by minimizing cutting, fitting, and trimming on site, and by using standardized or

modular components that can be easily reused or recycled. The LEED Green Associate Candidate

Handbook states that one of the strategies for achieving materials and resources efficiency is to

“reduce construction waste through efficient framing techniques” [1, p. 15]. Reference: LEED Green

Associate Candidate Handbook, [Reducing Construction Waste | U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency]

Potable water is water that is suitable for drinking. Potable water meets or exceeds the

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) drinking water quality standards and is free of

contaminants that are harmful to human health. The other options are not suitable for drinking.

Graywater is wastewater from sinks, showers, and laundry that can be reused for non-potable

purposes such as toilet flushing and irrigation. Greenwater is rainwater that is collected and stored

for non-potable uses. Stormwater is runoff from precipitation that can carry pollutants and

sediments into waterways. Reference: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 26; USGBC,

[Water Efficiency], page 2.

As of 1996, the Montreal Protocol banned the production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), a chemical

compound known to have ozone-depleting potential. CFCs are synthetic substances that were widely

used as refrigerants, propellants, solvents, and foam-blowing agents. CFCs have high ozone

depletion potential (ODP), which means they can destroy the ozone layer that protects the Earth

from harmful ultraviolet radiation. The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty that aims to

protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of ozone-depleting

substances. The Montreal Protocol banned the production of CFCs in 1996 for developed countries

and in 2010 for developing countries1 .

LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1,

UNEP’s Montreal Protocol

Stormwater runoff can indeed be treated and used in a facility’s cooling towers. This is an example of

using non-potable water (water that is not of drinking quality) for purposes that do not require

potable water. Other uses for treated stormwater might include toilet flushing or

irrigation. Reference: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, U.S. Green Building Council

resources