I'm working on an academic facility with a multi-faith space within it that will occassionally be used for Indigenous smudging ceremonies (burning of herbs and grasses, including tobacco sometimes). Does anyone have any experience with this and the ETS prerequisite?

Would there be an exception based on the frequency and non-nicotine containing smoke, or would we have to treat the space as a "designated smoking area" or similar to a residential suite with smoke seals to avoid cross-contamination? Any precedents from other similar uses such as incense burning?

Thanks in advance.

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Trista Brown

Project Director

WSP USA

LEEDuser Basic Member

381 thumbs up

Fri, 03/05/2021 - 18:56

Hi Jason - curious if you reached out to USGBC/GBCI about this?

Jason Burtwistle

Associate, Sustainability Consultant

Stantec

LEEDuser Premium Member

5 thumbs up

Thu, 09/02/2021 - 18:12

Hi Trista, I submitted a question to USGBC LEED Coach who instructed me to submit a CIR.
After consultation with cultural groups and users of the building, they've shared that they don't actually burn tobacco as part of their smudging practices (though some indigenous nations do), so the team's current approach is the assume that it would be exempt from the ETS prerequisites. We are providing additional ventilation in that room, essentially a boost to the extract air when smuding is taking place, but not other compartmentalization measures. But if anyone else has other thoughts, look forward to hearing them.

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