How distance is calculated

July 17, 2015

Brenda Martens

LEED Fellow, principal
aedify

LEEDuser Basic Member

July 17, 2015

LEED Canada calculates distance of extraction/harvest from the manufacturer, not the project site. I'm surprised to see v4 doesn't do the same. From a sustainability standpoint what's important is the distance the material travels, which will be from harvest/extraction to manufacturer, and then from manufacturer to project. And a material that's harvested 100 miles (160km) from the project site could travel in the worst case scenario 200 miles (320km) to the manufacturer, and still be "local" under v4. It also makes it easier for the manufacturer to produce one set of documentation because the distance from harvest to manufacture doesn't change project by project. The project team of course still has to determine distance to manufacturer.
Is there any addendum I'm missing that changes v4's methodology to measure the harvest/extraction distance?

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Jon Clifford

LEED-AP BD+C
GREENSQUARE

LEEDuser Expert

327 thumbs up

July 20, 2015 - 9:39 pm

Brenda—No new v4 addenda have modified the regional distance measurement. [For Canadian ACPs, see http://www.usgbc.org/articles/usgbc-releases-leed-v4-acps-canada .]

Recognize that, compared to LEED-2009, LEEDv4 significantly diminishes the role of regional materials. For example, a material must first qualify for some other sustainable criteria (such as recycled content) before regional doubling can occur.

Consider too that, in the mode-dependent, “point-to-point” measurement method that LEED-Canada pioneered, the “worst-case” distance was significantly greater than the new, 100-mile (160-km) radius. LEEDv4 now focuses on truly LOCAL materials. Delivery impacts are negligible over such short distances regardless of the mode of transport or the route traveled.

Finally, for LEEDv4, only local manufacturers using sustainable materials harvested or recovered within the 100-mile radius of the project need to report extraction sites, so documentation may actually be simpler. The trick will be to identify and specify qualifying materials in advance, during design.