One of the ways to achieve this credit is by having a JUST Certificate for one or more parties in the project team. But the link to JUST within the pilot credit's webpage is down ("www.justorganizations.com’s server IP address could not be found").
So I am trying to figure out which of these two programs I am supposed to use:
JUST Capital rankings - https://justcapital.com/issues/
Just Label provided by IFLI - https://living-future.org/just/
These both seem to address social equity issues, but in slightly different ways. Please share if you have used either one of these programs successfully. (And if USGBC sees this, please update the link on your pilot credit webpage!)
Umesh Atre
Sustainability LeadParkhill
10 thumbs up
August 10, 2023 - 11:58 am
Hi Alison - We have successfully used the JUST label for this Pilot. You should be able to get a full copy of the JUST organization's information including their label at this link: https://just.living-future.org/s/organizations/20-organizations. We have typically also provided a short table listing the main team members and their respective approx. % values of the total contract to show that we are meeting the requried threshold under this Pilot.
Douglas Flandro
Sustainability Design Leader, Exhibit Designer, AssociateCambridgeSeven
9 thumbs up
December 11, 2023 - 11:56 am
Yes. We were successful in achieving this credit through the Living Future Institute website referenced above. Our firm has a Just label. We provided a table showing a breakdown of the design fees by percent and which consultant firms have the Just label.
Sumaiya Mehjabeen
Project DesignerSWBR
March 21, 2024 - 3:55 pm
We are pursuing "Option 2: Design team - 20% or more of the design team" of this Pilot credit and will submit our JUST label for a LEED v4 ID+C Project. The credit requires the following:
1. Pilot credit registration
2. LEEDuser forum participation
3. Pilot credit survey
4. JUST label, or other frameworks (double check if you need to submit a Checklist)
5. A signed letter from the CEO confirming all Human Rights and Community/Society impacts listed in the credit language.
6. Breakdown of design fees percentage
Is there anything else that you submitted for successful achievement of this Pilot Credit?
Douglas Flandro
Sustainability Design Leader, Exhibit Designer, AssociateCambridgeSeven
9 thumbs up
March 22, 2024 - 10:31 am
That worked for us.
George Oakley
Project ManagerArchEcology LLC
April 29, 2024 - 2:35 pm
Greetings,
I am working on documenting this credit for a design team that has an architecture firm with a JUST label / certification. Is the CEO letter required with a JUST label? It's a bit confusing to me because the list contained in the Resources sample CEO letter is indicated as an "and" to the JUST label but is a bit different than what the JUST label covers. Also, elsewhere in the credit guidelines, it states, "If a JUST label or B Corp. certification is attained, the Checklist is not required."
Clarification here would be greatly appreciated.
Alison Rosso
Sustainability SpecialistJacobs
2 thumbs up
April 30, 2024 - 4:05 pm
George, I agree that not all the requirements are completely straight-forward. For example, my project used the GRI Standards, which were updated in 2021, and no longer match the "G4" version referenced by the Checklist. We explained this in a narrative, and showed how our client met the updated standards.
The way I read the documentation requirements, the CEO letter is required for all projects pursuing Option 2. But I think it should be perfectly acceptable to change or remove some of the "human rights and community/social impacts" in your project's CEO letter, so that it matches the JUST Label impacts (and so the person who signs it is being honest and accurate about what the company addresses with their policies). Just be sure to clearly explain this in a narrative somewhere, so it doesn't seem like you are surreptitiously manipulating the letter and thinking no one will notice. BTW, we had our client's senior sustainability officer sign the letter in lieu of the CEO, and it was accepted by GBCI. Hope this helps!
George Oakley
Project ManagerArchEcology LLC
April 30, 2024 - 4:25 pm
Thank you, Alison!
I appreciate you taking the time to respond. And yes, the information that you have provided is very helpful. I was wondering about editing the list in the letter and that seems like a sound approach to resolving the differences with the JUST label impacts.
Cheers!