V4 Green Associate Test 1 (Part 1)

Question 1 Explanation:

The purchasing plan requires that all new fixtures be watersense labeled. Thus, by stating that these items are new, we know they will reduce the potable water used in lavatories or showers.

Question 2 Explanation:

Before any design takes place, every team member is gathered and every issue hashed out. Each team member will take their expertise and bring the relevant information and data they have. The team then analyzes the data and starts to compare notes in order to identify synergies between different strategies and systems. This is a repeating cyclical process of research, analysis, and meeting that continues to further refine solutions, with the goal of achieving the greatest cost effectiveness and environmental performance.

Question 3 Explanation: •

LEED Technical Team overseeing TAGS and other groups. It's responsibilities include coordinating cross-category matters within LEED, reviewing LEED credits and prerequisites for technical validity and recommending improvements, and assessing LEED's technical rigor, coherency, and achievement trends through a system of performance metrics. • LEED Consultants assist building owners with LEED certification. • LEED Board of Directors articulates and upholds the vision, values, and mission of USGBC. Directors meet in person three times each year and by teleconference regularly throughout the year. • LEED Technical Advisory Groups - Under the direct management of the LEED Technical Committee, Technical Advisory Groups (TAGs) recommend technical solutions to rating system development and maintenance issues. The groups provide a consistent source of technical advice to LEED committees and working groups regarding credit and prerequisite improvement and supporting tool development. Technical Advisory Groups are structured to include expertise for specific technical issues: location and planning, sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. • LEED Steering Committee is an integrated group of volunteers and staff charged with developing and maintaining LEED as a leadership tool, preserving the integrity of the LEED rating systems, and ensuring the use of the consensus process to evolve LEED in accordance with the mission, guiding principles, and strategic plan of USGBC. A standing committee of USGBC Board of Directors, the LEED Steering Committee is the governing body of all LEED committees.

Question 4 Explanation:

Use of the USGBC member logo is limited to member companies. USGBC does not certify or endorse any products. Thus, the member logo may not be used to indicate endorsement for a product. A member company could use the logo in their letterhead for marketing purposes.

Question 5 Explanation:

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is used for prime farmland. US Army Corps’ of Engineers’ is used for wetlands. The International Society of Arboriculture is used for tree conditions on site.

Question 6 Explanation:

Closets or toilets help reduce indoor, not outdoor water use.

Question 7 Explanation:

Transportation is the second largest contributor of global greenhouse gases at 25-33%

Question 8 Explanation:

The reference guide is designed to elaborate upon and work in conjunction with the rating system and serves as a roadmap, describing the steps for meeting and documenting credit requirements and offering advice on best practices. Each credit category begins with an overview that discusses sustainability and market factors specific to the category. For each prerequisite and credit, readers will then find the following sections: • Intent & Requirements • Behind the Intent • Step-by-Step Guidance • Further Explanation • Required Documentation • Related Credit Tips • Changes from LEED 2009 • Referenced Standards • Exemplary Performance • Definitions Exemplary Performance identifies the threshold that must be met to earn an exemplary performance point. EP points are not available for any prerequisite, and not all credits.

Question 9 Explanation:

An infill site would already be connected to existing utility lines, streets and other infrastructure thus saving money that would otherwise be spent developing these items.

Question 10 Explanation:

Minimizing the embodied impacts associated with the entire life-cycle of building materials

Question 11 Explanation:

MRc2 – BPDO - Environmental Product Declarations rewards project teams for selecting products from manufacturers who have verified improved environmental life-cycle impacts.

Question 12 Explanation:

The Minimum Program Requirements are: 1. Must be in a permanent location on existing land 2. Must use reasonable LEED boundaries 3. Must comply with project size requirements

Question 14 Explanation:

Smart Location and Linkage credits promote walkable neighborhoods with efficient transportation options and open space and is in LEED ND only. Sustainable Sites credits encourage strategies that minimize the impact on ecosystems and water resources.

Question 15 Explanation:

The team must know how much rain falls to manage it and use it for irrigation. Evapotranspiration is useful too, but not just evaporation.

Question 16 Explanation:

Building codes would be the first item to be reviewed and the design would revolve around those mandatory codes but not determine project success. Commitment to the sustainability goals is integral to the integrative approach and its success depends on sticking to the goals setup at the start of the project. Meeting the project schedule is bound to fluctuate and should not be used as a primary measure of success for integrative approaches. The choice of materials used does not determine the effectiveness of a project team.

Question 17 Explanation:

The key term here is economic performance over life.

Question 18 Explanation:

A bicycle network directly translates to LEED points while a downtown core is definitely densely distributed and thus close to diverse uses.

Question 19 Explanation:

For more information about different incentives please read here: http://leadinggreen.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Green-Building-Incentive-Strategies.pdf Structural incentives include: • Expedited review / permitting process • Density and height bonuses Financial incentives include: • Tax credits • Fee reductions / waivers • Grants • Revolving loan funds (low-interest loans) Non-finanical incentives include: • Technical assistance • Marketing assistance

Question 20 Explanation:

A negative synergy with a tight building envelope is the air inside becomes stagnant. Fresh air and increased ventilation needs to be brought in to improve air quality. However by increasing ventilation more energy is needed.

Question 21 Explanation:

Note – the integrative process is based on Integrative Process (IP) ANSI Consensus National Standard Guide 2.0 for Design and Construction of Sustainable Buildings and Communities.

Question 22 Explanation:

Adaptive reuse is the practice of redesigning and using a structure for a use that is significantly different from the building's original use. The office/apartment option is an example of design for flexibility.

Question 23 Explanation:

Solar shading is a strategy to reduce the Heat Island Affect and using that electricity for EVs satisfies a part of the green vehicles credit.

Question 24 Explanation:

Carpets made from virgin materials or recycled content have similar costs and durability performance. Using materials that contain recycled content reduces virgin materials use. Post-consumer recycled content is defined by ISO 14021 - 'the percentage of material in a product that was consumer waste'. The recycled material was generated by household, commercial, industrial, or institutional end-users and can no longer be used for its intended purpose. It includes returns of materials from the distribution chain. Examples include construction and demolition debris, materials collected through recycling programs, discarded products (e.g., furniture, cabinetry, decking), and landscaping waste (e.g., leaves, grass clippings, tree trimmings).

Question 26 Explanation:

The integrative process is an iterative, collaborative approach that involves a project's stakeholders in the process from visioning through completion of construction and throughout building operation. Both involve all project team members. In integrative process, all team members will meet at least once as a group. In conventional design, the landscape designer may never speak to the plumber.