LEED Credits : GeoProducts - Houston Erosion Control, EnviroGrid, GeoCell, Cellular Confinement, Load Support

LEED® Green Building Credits

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) system for designing and certifying environmentally sustainable buildings is the national standard for rating environmentally responsible construction. Introduced and enabled by the United States Green Building Council, LEED® takes into account materials and resources used, site location and development, air quality, and water and energy use in its evaluation of green buildings.

GeoProducts' EnviroGrid cellular confinement system is designed and implemented with environmental merit as a top priority, and contributes heavily to a higher LEED® rating for your green building project. Please refer to the US Green Building Council Website for further details on the LEED® certification system at www.usgbc.com.

LEED® Sustainable Site Credit 5.1: Site Development--Protect or Restore Habitat

Requirements:
For Greenfield sites--sites not previously developed and remain in a natural state--limit all site disturbance to the specified parameters. For previously developed areas, restore or protect a specified area of the site with acceptable vegetation.

GeoProducts Solution and LEED® Credit Opportunities:
EnviroGrid provides options for pervious paving in parking and access road functions, thus reducing disruption to existing ecosystems and minimizing the construction footprint. Also, through the stabilization of steepened slopes and of storm water detention facilities, EnviroGrid is able to reduce the construction footprint and keep site disturbance within the necessary parameters.
For previously developed building areas, use of the EnviroGrid geocell allows for the restoration or promotion of vegetation, thus contributing to the ecosystem and further minimizing site disturbance.
The retaining wall and slope stabilization features of EnviroGrid reduce valuable land consumption in an environmentally-friendly fashion.

LEED® Sustainable Site Credit 5.2: Site Development--Maximize Open Space

Requirements:
To provide acceptable, vegetated open space within the project boundary in accordance with specified parameters, and to reduce development footprint.

GeoProducts Solution and LEED® Credit Opportunities:
EnviroGrid is ideal for encouraging useful vegetated open space whether with green parking areas through load support functions or by reducing land consumption with environmentally friendly slope stabilization and earth retention purposes. In any application, EnviroGrid is designed to provide the most open space by eliminating the need for further drainage facilities or by allowing for steeper slopes with minimized environmental damage.

LEED® Sustainable Site Credit 6.1 and 6.2: Stormwater Design--Quantity and Quality Control

Requirements:
Implement a stormwater management plan to limit disruption of the ecosystem by limiting the area of impervious cover and increasing the area's drainage capability according to specified guidelines. Also, to reduce the pollution and erosion associated with stormwater runoff.

GeoProducts Solution and LEED® Credit Opportunities:
EnviroGrid is designed to ensure natural water flows--porous pavement, earth retention, and slope stabilization applications all allow stormwater to drain in an environmentally responsible manner. Use of EnviroGrid reduces the use of impervious cover and impervious concrete retention walls, thereby reducing pollutant loadings. EnviroGrid is also useful in creating natural treatment systems of stormwater runoff.

LEED® Sustainable Site Credit 7.1: Heat Island Effect--Nonroof

Requirements:
To reduce the heat island impact on microclimates and surrounding habitat, measures must be taken to reduce the heat absorption of exterior materials.

GeoProducts Solution and LEED® Credit Opportunities:
US Green Builders Council suggests the use of vegetated or permeable surfaces such as EnviroGrid instead of constructed hardscape, thereby reducing the area's tendency to absorb heat significantly. The promotion of vegetative cover also contributes to the overall reduction of heat island effects.

LEED® Materials & Resources Credit 5.1 and 5.2: Regional Materials

Requirements:
To reduce the environmental impact resulting from transportation of construction materials by using materials and products that are extracted and manufactured within the region.

GeoProducts Solution and LEED® Credit Opportunities:
EnviroGrid allows the use of virtually any local aggregate, eliminating the possibility of having to import higher quality infill materials. Construction within 500 miles of GeoProducts' Houston, Texas manufacturing facility can also apply the EnviroGrid geocell itself to the percentage contributing to LEED credit.