LEEDuser expert
Batya Metalitz
USGBC
Technical Director, LEED
LEEDuser’s viewpoint
Frank advice from LEED experts
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
Pilot Credit Closed
This pilot credit is closed, however, a similar credit is available for use through the Innovation catalog.
To improve human health and well-being and increase community involvement in, and education about, food production.
Requirements
Provide a dedicated portion of the site for onsite food production: gardens or planters with vegetables and/or edible nut- and fruit-bearing plants appropriate to the site. The area calculated shall be the actual growing area used for the production of food bearing plants. Size the area using one of the following metrics:
BD+C and ID+C projects (except Schools, Homes, and Midrise)
- At least 5% of the site’s vegetated area (excluding preserved or restored habitat area) but no less than 250 square feet.
- At least one square foot per Full Time Equivalent (excluding visitors) but no less than 200 square feet.
- For urban projects with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR, at least 15% of useable roof top surface area (excluding mechanical equipment, skylights, roof drains, window washing staging, emergency egress routes, etc. and private balconies or decks) but no less than 200 square feet.
O+M projects (except Schools)
- At least 5% of the site’s vegetated area (excluding preserved or restored habitat area) but no less than 250 square feet.
- At least one square foot per Full Time Equivalent (excluding visitors) but no less than 200 square feet.
- For urban projects with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR, at least 10% of useable roof top surface area (excluding mechanical equipment, skylights, roof drains, window washing staging, emergency egress routes, etc. and private balconies or decks) but no less than 200 s.f.
LEED for Schools projects
- 0.5 square feet per student with a minimum requirement of 75 square feet and a maximum requirement of 1,500 square feet.
- The provision of food production space must be complemented by programmatic areas nearby and designed for students to congregate. Programmatic areas could include, but are not limited to, classrooms and cafeterias.
LEED for Homes and Midrise projects
- 50 square feet per single family home
- 15 square feet per unit for multifamily
- For urban housing projects with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR, at least 15% of useable roof top surface area (excluding mechanical equipment, skylights, roof drains, window washing staging, emergency egress routes, etc. and private balconies or decks) but no less than 200 square feet.
AND
All projects
- Prepare and distribute required Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for project-specific use to all users and home owners.
- Herbs used for food preparation shall not exceed 25% of the area requirement. All projects shall include at least three differing production crops.
All projects except Homes
- Maintain a record log of means and methods of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or necessary alternatives to address site specific issues. Provide universal advance notification of chemical applications.
- Permanent infrastructure must be provided. As applicable, provide and document solar access, fencing, watering systems, garden bed enhancements (such as raised beds), sufficient growing medium, secure storage space for tools, and pedestrian access for these spaces. A three-year commitment to the program must be documented. In the event that users are not utilizing and managing the food production area, the owner, property manager or HOA shall be responsible for annually implementing and maintaining the program.
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Credit specific
- Plan(s) highlighting food production locations and plant species on the site, in a greenhouse, and/or on the roof with dimensions demonstrating the amount of area reserved for food production
- Calculations showing that the food production area(s) meets the required thresholds (including number of students, if applicable).
- For urban projects: documentation confirming the minimum 1.5 FAR
- Documentation showing or describing how the food production space is complemented by nearby programmatic areas and designed for students to congregate (Schools only)
- The project-specific IPM plan, including a narrative describing how it will be distributed to all users or home owners
- Site-specific IPM record log, including a narrative describing universal advance notification of chemical applications (not required for Homes)
- Supplemental documentation confirming permanent infrastructure (not required for Homes)
- A signed letter confirming the three-year commitment to the program by the building / tenant space owner (not required for Homes)
Changes
- 11/01/2013: Revised to allow options from EBOM to be used by all project types. Added LEED for Homes requirements.
- 04/04/2014: Removed "urban" from "urban farm" in option 3
- 12/04/2015: Restructured the credit, revised the area requirements, and added a path for urban projects. Removed CSA and existing farm support. Modified the IPM plan requirements and applicability, and capped herb growing area.
- Closed for registration on 8/12/2022
SITES-LEED Equivalency
This LEED credit (or a component of this credit) has been established as equivalent to a SITES v2 credit or component. For more information on using the equivalency as a substitution in your LEED or SITES project, see this article and guidance document.What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Documentation toolkit
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LEEDuser’s Documentation Toolkit is loaded with calculators to help assess credit compliance, tracking spreadsheets for materials, sample templates to help guide your narratives and LEED Online submissions, and examples of actual submissions from certified LEED projects for you to check your work against. To get your plaque, start with the right toolkit.
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Intent
Pilot Credit Closed
This pilot credit is closed, however, a similar credit is available for use through the Innovation catalog.
To improve human health and well-being and increase community involvement in, and education about, food production.
Requirements
Provide a dedicated portion of the site for onsite food production: gardens or planters with vegetables and/or edible nut- and fruit-bearing plants appropriate to the site. The area calculated shall be the actual growing area used for the production of food bearing plants. Size the area using one of the following metrics:
BD+C and ID+C projects (except Schools, Homes, and Midrise)
- At least 5% of the site’s vegetated area (excluding preserved or restored habitat area) but no less than 250 square feet.
- At least one square foot per Full Time Equivalent (excluding visitors) but no less than 200 square feet.
- For urban projects with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR, at least 15% of useable roof top surface area (excluding mechanical equipment, skylights, roof drains, window washing staging, emergency egress routes, etc. and private balconies or decks) but no less than 200 square feet.
O+M projects (except Schools)
- At least 5% of the site’s vegetated area (excluding preserved or restored habitat area) but no less than 250 square feet.
- At least one square foot per Full Time Equivalent (excluding visitors) but no less than 200 square feet.
- For urban projects with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR, at least 10% of useable roof top surface area (excluding mechanical equipment, skylights, roof drains, window washing staging, emergency egress routes, etc. and private balconies or decks) but no less than 200 s.f.
LEED for Schools projects
- 0.5 square feet per student with a minimum requirement of 75 square feet and a maximum requirement of 1,500 square feet.
- The provision of food production space must be complemented by programmatic areas nearby and designed for students to congregate. Programmatic areas could include, but are not limited to, classrooms and cafeterias.
LEED for Homes and Midrise projects
- 50 square feet per single family home
- 15 square feet per unit for multifamily
- For urban housing projects with a minimum density of 1.5 FAR, at least 15% of useable roof top surface area (excluding mechanical equipment, skylights, roof drains, window washing staging, emergency egress routes, etc. and private balconies or decks) but no less than 200 square feet.
AND
All projects
- Prepare and distribute required Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices for project-specific use to all users and home owners.
- Herbs used for food preparation shall not exceed 25% of the area requirement. All projects shall include at least three differing production crops.
All projects except Homes
- Maintain a record log of means and methods of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) or necessary alternatives to address site specific issues. Provide universal advance notification of chemical applications.
- Permanent infrastructure must be provided. As applicable, provide and document solar access, fencing, watering systems, garden bed enhancements (such as raised beds), sufficient growing medium, secure storage space for tools, and pedestrian access for these spaces. A three-year commitment to the program must be documented. In the event that users are not utilizing and managing the food production area, the owner, property manager or HOA shall be responsible for annually implementing and maintaining the program.
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Credit specific
- Plan(s) highlighting food production locations and plant species on the site, in a greenhouse, and/or on the roof with dimensions demonstrating the amount of area reserved for food production
- Calculations showing that the food production area(s) meets the required thresholds (including number of students, if applicable).
- For urban projects: documentation confirming the minimum 1.5 FAR
- Documentation showing or describing how the food production space is complemented by nearby programmatic areas and designed for students to congregate (Schools only)
- The project-specific IPM plan, including a narrative describing how it will be distributed to all users or home owners
- Site-specific IPM record log, including a narrative describing universal advance notification of chemical applications (not required for Homes)
- Supplemental documentation confirming permanent infrastructure (not required for Homes)
- A signed letter confirming the three-year commitment to the program by the building / tenant space owner (not required for Homes)
Changes
- 11/01/2013: Revised to allow options from EBOM to be used by all project types. Added LEED for Homes requirements.
- 04/04/2014: Removed "urban" from "urban farm" in option 3
- 12/04/2015: Restructured the credit, revised the area requirements, and added a path for urban projects. Removed CSA and existing farm support. Modified the IPM plan requirements and applicability, and capped herb growing area.
- Closed for registration on 8/12/2022
SITES-LEED Equivalency
This LEED credit (or a component of this credit) has been established as equivalent to a SITES v2 credit or component. For more information on using the equivalency as a substitution in your LEED or SITES project, see this article and guidance document.LEEDuser expert
Batya Metalitz
USGBC
Technical Director, LEED
