LEED vs ASTM/APEX Certification: The Basics How are LEED and ASTM standards similar and supportive of each other? How do the LEED and ASTM standards differ? Is there benefit to achieving both certifications? Comparative table of LEED and ASTM

1. How are LEED and ASTM standards similar and
supportive of each other?
Both have criteria that address the environmental impact of large buildings.
Establish benchmark data for: energy consumption, waste diversion, and
environmental purchasing.
Provide guidance for a team to implement sustainable best practices
for their operation.
Require maintenance and continual tracking of efforts.
Require re-certification to maintain status.
How do the LEED and ASTM standards differ?
The LEED criterion focuses primarily on the building envelope and structural
components of the building.
The ASTM standard focuses on the operational practices of the venue or
hotel, and the partnership between a planner and supplier.
LEED criteria can be applied to any and all buildings. The requirements do
not differ for an office building vs. a convention center.
The ASTM standard is specific to the meeting and events industry. Each of
the standards has criteria that address the specific practices of that particular
sector. Therefore an office building would find the Venue standard criteria not
applicable.
ASTM puts great value on Staff Management, Communication, and
Community Engagement, creating separate categories for each.
LEED integrates some of these aspects into certain criteria, but they are not
a main focus of the standard.
Is there benefit to achieving both certifications?
For venues and hotels, there is certainly benefit to the adoption of both
standards. The standards offer support for each other and are able to address
different aspects of the overall sustainability of an operation. By adopting both
standards an organization is demonstrating a strong commitment to both the
operation and management of an efficient building, as well as meeting the
needs of its clients by addressing the specific impacts of the building use.
LEED vs. ASTM/APEX Certification
The Basics
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2. LEED ASTM/APEX
What is it?
Leadership in Energy Environmental Design (LEED) is a
standard that provides independent, third-party verification
that a building, home or community was designed and built
using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key
areas of human and environmental health: Sustainable site
development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials
selection and indoor environmental quality.
Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance is focused
on the operation of already built buildings. There is more of
a focus on building management and operation.
Spearheaded by the US Environmental Protection Agency and
their relationship with the Green Meeting Industry Council the
standards were developed in collaboration between APEX (the
Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange)
and ASTM (An ANSI certified international standard development
organization). Hence the standards are referred to as the APEX/
ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards.
Who can get
certified?
USGBC has developed specific criteria for each of the
following building types:
New Construction
Major Renovation
Core Shell
Schools
Retail: New Construction
Major Renovations
/ Retail: Commercial
Interiors
Healthcare
Commercial Interiors
Existing Buildings:
Operations
Maintenance (aka
EB:OM) – most widely
adopted by venues
Homes
Neighborhood
Development
Suppliers and Planners in the Meeting and Event Industry.
Various sectors include:
Audio Visual/Production
Accommodations
Communications/Mar-
keting
Destination Selection
Exhibits
Food and Beverage
Meeting Venue
Onsite Office
Transportation
What is the
Point Structure?
LEED rating systems generally have 100 base points plus
six Innovation in Design points and four Regional Priority
points, for a total of 110 points (LEED for Homes is based
on a 125-point scale, plus 11 Innovation in Design points).
The only required points for LEED are the pre-requisites.
Otherwise, a project can pick and choose the points they
wish to pursue – with more points achieved leading to a
higher level of certification. The level of certification are as
follows:
Certified: 40–49 points
Silver: 50–59 points
Gold: 60-79 points
Platinum: 80+ points
Each of the standards has criteria in the following eight catego-
ries intended to capture the environmental and social areas that
are measured. They are:
1. Staff Management and
Environmental Policy
2. Communication
3. Waste Management
4. Energy
5. Air quality
6. Water
7. Procurement
8. Community Partners
The standard criteria advance in complexity and performance on
a scale of Level 1-4. ALL criteria in the standard must be met to
achieve certification. To achieve higher levels of certification, all
the criteria in each preceding level must be met. For example, to
certify to Level 2, all criteria in Level 1 and 2 must be met.
What is the Cost
for Certification?
Dependent on size of the building. EB:OM ranges in fee
from $2,000 - $20,000 (with discount given to USGBC
members)
Additional costs include:
Registration of project with USGBC for $1,200 ($900 if
silver member or higher).
Consultant for project coordination: generally range
from $10,000 to over $100,000 depending on scope of
project
Reference guide - $185
Credit Interpretation Reviews (CIR’s): $380/credit
The cost for certification depends on the standard being pursued
with prices ranging from $2,000 - $5,000.
Meeting Venue certification is $5,000.
Additional costs include:
Project registration with GMIC for $300
(discount available for GMIC members)
Cost to purchase the standard from ASTM - $45.
Who certifies?
The LEED rating system was developed by the US Green
Building Council. In 2008, the Green Building Certification
Institute (GBCI) was established with the support of the U.S.
Green Building Council to manage Building Certification and
the Professional Accreditation Processes. www.gbci.org
iCompli, a division of BPA Worldwide is the GMIC endorsed 3rd
party certifier to the standards. www.icomplisustainability.com
What is the
Recertification
Process?
Recertify every 5 years Recertify every 2 years
How many years
has the standard
been on the
market?
The New Construction (NC) standard was released in 2000.
It has been revised and new standard sectors have been
added since to address the specific and unique impacts of
various building types.
All standards with exception of Accommodations were released in
2012. Accommodations were released in April 2013.
Where do
I learn more?
www.usgbc.org www.gmicglobal.org/?page=APEX
LEED vs. ASTM/APEX Certification
The Basics