EDITED 5/7/07 to include CSI Masterformat 1995 Division 12 in calculations. INQUIRY: In an effort to help stimulate the development of environmentally focused product evaluation and certification tools for use by building professionals, USGBC is seeking to establish an innovation point for specification of products certified under the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) program. This program is explained at http://www.mbdc.com/certified.html. C2C Certification provides manufacturers with a means to measure achievement in environmentally intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality. Through C2C, this means using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy; efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production; and instituting strategies for social responsibility. If a candidate product achieves the necessary criteria, it is certified as a Silver, Gold or Platinum product or as a Technical/Biological Nutrient (available for homogeneous materials or less complex products), and can be labeled as Cradle to Cradle. USGBC suggests the following Intent, Requirements and Submittals for this Innovation in Design application: Intent: Help stimulate the development of environmentally focused product evaluation and certification tools for use by building professionals. Requirements: Use Cradle to Cradle Certified building materials and products for 2.5% of the total value of all building materials and products used in the project, based on cost. The "cost value" of products for the purposes of this calculation will be discounted by 50% for Silver level products and those identified only as "technical or biological nutrients", and doubled for products certified at the platinum level: Cost value of products = ((Silver & nutrients) x 0.5) + Gold + (Platinum x 2) Submittals: Spreadsheet matrix with the following information: DEFAULT MATERIALS VALUE Total construction costs (hard costs for CSI Master Format 1995 Divisions 2-10 and 12** only): _______ Default materials cost (total Divisions 2-10 and 12** construction cost x 0.45): _______ OR ACTUAL MATERIALS VALUE Actual materials cost (excluding labor and equipment) hard costs for CSI Master Format 1995 Divisions 2-10 and 12** only): _______ - Material Name/Description - Manufacturer - Total Material Cost ($) - Percent Of Product C2C Certified (% by Weight) - Compliant Product Value - Adjusted value (Silver and nutrients x 0.5, Platinum x2) Total "cost value" ($) of C2C certified materials: _______ C2C certified material value as a percentage of total materials cost*: _______ *To qualify for this ID credit the percentage of C2C certified materials must be at least 2.5% of the total materials cost **CSI Master Format 1995 Division 12 may be included in calculations if materials from Division 12 are used consistently with calculations in credits MRc3-7 in LEED-NC or MRc3-6 in LEED-CS. LEED-CI projects are required to include Division 12 components in the calculation of this ID point, as these components are required for calculations in CI credits MRc4-7. Please refer to the LEED-CI Reference Guide\'s credit calculation instructions for guidance in calculating these credits.
RULING by the MR TAG (April 6, 2007): The MR Technical Advisory Group has determined that the proposal encourages innovation through product improvement and is thus acceptable for an innovation point, given proper documentation upon LEED application. In approving this proposal, the TAG notes the following: 1) The TAG has concerns about the lack of transparency in the C2C certification process; 2) There are other product evaluation and certification tools that may be considered for similar acknowledgment through the CIR process; 3) The TAG and others intend to work towards establishing a set of criteria for product evaluation and certification tools that are referenced in LEED, whether in innovation points or in rating system credit language; and 4) Once those criteria have been established, it will be necessary to revisit whether or not proposed innovation points based on this draft language should continue to be approved.