Eco-Friendly Landscaping: Your Path to LEED Certification Success

When it comes to creating a commercial property that’s both good for the environment and for the health of the people who work in and visit your property, LEED certification is the gold standard. 

But achieving LEED certification requires a financial investment not everybody wants — or needs — to make, says James Kole, a branch manager at Level Green Landscaping. 

It’s a lot. 

But the landscaping elements required for LEED certification are still wise moves when it comes to helping the environment, Kole says, and making your property appealing to tenants who say environmentally friendly practices are important to them. 

“We’re hearing more people interested in organic fertilizing, pollinators and native plants,” Kole says. 

Bioswales are smart whether you’re pursuing LEED certification or not, Kole says. 

Gently sloped troughs, they’re planted with plants and flowers, providing a path for water to run through slowly and efficiently. The plants and soil in the bioswale clean the runoff before it enters the water table, and are attractive landscape elements at the same time. (More on other smart water management solutions in a minute.) 

While much of LEED certification involves the construction of a building, don’t forget about the outside. The right LEED landscaping elements can help you get more points so you can achieve a higher level, maybe moving from Platinum level to Gold.

Keep reading for a closer look at how eco-friendly landscaping can improve your commercial property if LEED certification is your goal — or even if it isn’t —including: 

What is LEED certification?
Why LEED certification matters
How does LEED certification work? 
How an eco-friendly landscaping company can help
Using less water
Reduce turf for less mowing 
Consider a green roof
Drainage solutions for LEED landscaping 
Don’t care about LEED? Why it’s still valuable 

What is LEED Certification?

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to set a benchmark for design, construction and operation of environmentally friendly buildings.

LEED certification verifies that a building was designed and built using strategies friendly to the environment and to human health, including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Why LEED Certification Matters

LEED certification automatically tells people you care about environmental and human health, and you’ve taken substantial steps to improve your property. 

LEED certified buildings use less energy, which means lower utility bills. There are often tax breaks for LEED properties. And they’re more appealing to potential tenants. 

There are definitely bragging rights. It’s a feather in your cap to be LEED certified.

How Does LEED Certification Work? 

In order for a building to earn a LEED certification rating (Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum), the space has to include a series of recommended “green” characteristics. Each element earns points. It takes a minimum of 40 points to earn certification.

How an Eco-friendly Landscaping Company Can Help 

Landscape design and maintenance are factored into the scoring system used for LEED certification. Of those 40 required points, a number of them are landscape-related, and your landscape company can help you earn them.

How? 

Use Less Water

Water usage is a big part of LEED. Consider getting rid of your turf. Not only does it require a lot of water, but it needs a lot of fertilizer and herbicides too.

How to do it?

Switch to eco-friendly landscaping with native plants. Natives automatically love living on your property. That means they need less care — including less water. They naturally resist diseases and pests. They provide berries, nuts and seeds for animals and nectar for hummingbirds and insects.

LEED Landscaping: Less Turf Means Less Mowing

 Another reason to replace turf with native plants is that you reduce the need for mowers.
 
Removing turf reduces emissions from gas mowers, blowers and weed trimmers and is a huge step in reducing your property’s carbon footprint.

Consider A Green Roof

A green roof is covered or partially covered with growing plants.They absorb a lot of the heat in the summer, so you use less air conditioning, and less energy, inside. Green roofs also help absorb water, so you have less polluting runoff for more eco-friendly landscaping. 

Drainage Solutions for LEED Landscaping 

Managing stormwater runoff is a key element of LEED landscaping. 

Level Green experts can help with a variety of solutions, including the Bioswales we mentioned earlier. 

Other options: 

Retention Or Detention Ponds

Retention ponds are pools of water that fluctuate in response to rain and runoff. They collect water and release it slowly, at a nice, easy rate that prevents flooding or erosion.

Detention ponds are usually dry, except when excess rain or melted snow fill them up. They’re designed to hold water temporarily, then slowly drain it to another location.
Eco-friendly Landscaping with Rainwater Harvesting Systems 
One way to prevent excess water on your property is to capture it — then reuse it. Commercial properties like apartment buildings, shopping centers  and office buildings, with their often large, flat roofs, are great for rainwater harvesting.

When rain falls onto a roof, a system of gutters and pipes channels it and stores it. Use it to flush toilets, do laundry, water the property, wash vehicles.

Don't Care About LEED Certification?

As Kole points out, LEED certification isn't a goal for everyone. But LEED landscaping practices are beneficial, even if you don't want the designation.

Many commercial properties want to make a less significant footprint, even if they’re not pursuing LEED certification. These eco-friendly landscaping practices use less energy, reducing your costs.

Let Level Green Help You Achieve LEED — or Your Own Green Goals

 Here at Level Green Landscaping, sustainability is a top priority. You can see it in all sorts of ways, from our increasing use of battery powered equipment to our recycling practices to our use of solar panels and hybrid vehicles. 

We can help you, too. Our experts have the skills and knowledge to carry out the plans, from installing drought-tolerant plants to creating green roofs to installing bioswales or rainwater harvesting systems.

If you’re not already a Level Green Landscaping client, we’d love to add you to our growing list of happy customers. Our focus is on commercial properties like offices, mixed-use sites, HOAs, municipalities and institutions in Maryland, Washington DC and parts of Virginia.

Contact us at 202-544-0968. You can also request a free consultation online to meet with us one-on-one.

We’d love to hear from you.