Valentina Nardini
Valentina Nardini
Mark Baxter
Mark Baxter
Option 1: Isn’t the APPA audit just for educational facilities?
While the APPA guidelines were developed for educational facilities they still can be applied to a variety of building types. All projects, regardless of building type, must use the APPA guidelines.
Option 1: How frequently do we have to conduct an APPA audit?
A cleaning audit based on APPA guidelines should be conducted for your building interior at least once every two years, according to USGBC’s Recertification Guidance (October 2013).
Option 1: How many times can we conduct an APPA audit? We want to use the results of our first audit to improve housekeeping practices and then perform a second audit to see if we’re closer to reaching our desired level of cleanliness.
There’s no restriction to the number of audits you can perform. A preliminary audit is a great way to collect information and notify custodial and facilities staff of the building’s cleanliness before certification application. Just be sure to submit an audit that falls within the performance period for your LEED application.
Option 1: When should we conduct the audit?
The audit must occur during a period of normal operations when occupant loads and building activities reflect normal levels and patterns (the holidays would be a bad time, for example). The audit can be performed at any time during the day or night: it doesn’t have to be within normal business hours.
LEED v4 Green Cleaning Calculator
Project teams can use this calculator to track and document green cleaning purchases. An updated calculator for v4.1 has not been released as of November 2021.
LEED v4.1 O+M Beta Guide
This guide provides an overview of the LEED v4.1 O+M beta rating system, including prerequisite and credit requirements, changes from LEED v4, and performance score calculations.
Finally, LEED Directly Encourages Trees
With Pilot Credit 158, the carbon sequestration value of trees helps teams earn a point.
by Sarah Buffaloe
Does LEED encourage planting trees? It’s a strange question to be asking 23 years into the rating system. Sure, we know trees are good; they provide shade and wildlife habitats, stabilize soils, and create oxygen, but there is no LEED credit that simply encourages design teams to plant more trees—until now. The publishers of Pilot Credit 158, Assess and Increase Onsite Carbon Sequestration Through Plantings, seem to feel the point needs to be hammered home: PLANT MORE TREES (and shrubs)!