The development of a green building is a comprehensive process that involves innovative thinking and a significant amount of creative design, but the greening process of our collective built environment doesn’t just end once the construction of a new LEED building is complete.
It can be easy to overlook the essential task of establishing a comprehensive plan for the building’s ongoing systems operation and maintenance. In many ways, this form of short-term thinking can serve to undercut one of the fundamental goals of the green building movement. Yes, it is highly commendable for a new project to reach for the highest possible level of LEED certification, but the effect of this accomplishment is diminished without an equally sizable commitment to ensuring that our built environment is being run in an innovative, environmentally conscious way after completion.