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EVST 255: Environmental Politics and Law

Lecture 21 - Certification: Design and Green Architecture. The lecture critiques the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) certification system, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The criteria for being highly rated under LEED emphasize energy efficiency and minimizing waste, but do not prioritize environmental health and limiting use of dangerous plastics and chemicals. USGBC is a non-profit organization, not a government agency, and has employees of for-profit organizations on its board of directors. The lecture discusses the implications of having a non-profit organization run this system and be responsible for evaluating environmental quality in architecture and construction. (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 21 - Certification: Design and Green Architecture

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Growth, Consumption and Understanding Energy Intensity
[00:15:48] 2. Building Codes and Green Certification Programs
[00:24:40] 3. New Construction and Renovation Certification
[00:34:38] 4. Chemical Contents and Indoor Environmental Quality
[00:40:39] 5. Certification and Its Limits on Health and the Environment

References
Lecture 21 - Certification: Design and Green Architecture
Instructor: Professor John Wargo. Resources: Lecture 21 [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov].

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 01 - Introduction to the Course
Lecture 02 - Principles and Strategies in Environmental Law
Lecture 03 - Nuclear Experiments
Lecture 04 - Nuclear Secrecy and Ecology
Lecture 05 - Preparing for War: NEPA
Lecture 06 - Marine Food-Chains: Mercury
Lecture 07 - Site Restoration Law
Lecture 08 - Chemically Dependent Agriculture
Lecture 09 - Risk and Law: Pesticide Paradigm
Lecture 10 - Safe Drinking Water: Science and Law
Lecture 11 - Safety Claims and Free Speech: Preemption and Defamation
Lecture 12 - Air Quality Law: Margins of Safety
Lecture 13 - Vehicle Emissions and Public Transit
Lecture 14 - The Quiet Revolution in Plastics
Lecture 15 - The Tobacco Paradigm
Lecture 16 - Evolution of Tobacco Law
Lecture 17 - Land Use and Conservation Law: The Adirondack History
Lecture 18 - Property Rights and Public Lands Management
Lecture 19 - Land Use Law and Property Rights
Lecture 20 - Managing Coastal Resources in an Era of Climate Change
Lecture 21 - Certification: Design and Green Architecture
Lecture 22 - Past and Future of Nuclear Power
Lecture 23 - Renewable Energy Policies
Lecture 24 - Reflection and Lessons