If your team determines that some of the requirements are not applicable to your project site, be sure to fully explain the team’s reasoning. For example, snow and ice removal might not be relevant in your climate zone. However, other exceptions are seldom, if ever, allowed.

If your facility employs vendors for some or all of the building exterior and hardscape management–related activities, formally incorporate environmental best-management practices into their contract language. This is most easily done when establishing new contracts or during renewal periods, but many vendors are amenable to changes prior to expiration of their current contract. Include sufficient detail in the contract language to explain how vendors should be involved in implementing your plan.

For each area, you’ll need to either exclusively follow environmental practices, or adopt a metric showing that you followed those practices at least 20% of the time. That might mean, for example, that 20% of the deicer applied was environmentally friendly, or that at least 20% of maintenance equipment is environmentally friendly.

You don’t have to adopt environmental best practices 100% but it makes documentation easier and greatly improves your environmental profile. It may also be surprisingly feasible. 

Plan on using environmentally preferred practices to a significant degree over the performance period. The credit language does not exactly define this, but the LEED Reference Guide suggests that following environmental best practices 20% of the time is appropriate.  

Earning the credit 

Don’t just document standard practices—that’s not enough to achieve the credit. Demonstrate and document that your practices are better than standard. Examples of standard versus best practices are shown in the table at right, and in more detail, topic-by-topic, below.

Use low-impact cleaning products or power washing in accordance with policies established for SSc2: Building Exterior and Hardscape Management Plan. Best practices include minimal use of cleaners, low-impact cleaning agents, use of electric-powered sweepers and manual tools, and periodic power-washing with water only.

If using light-colored hardscapes to meet the credit, implement a maintenance program for cleaning these surfaces at least once every two years.

Run calculations to confirm that at least 50% of your project’s hardscape meets the credit criteria or that at least 50% of your parking is located under cover.