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EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Work Session: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Evaluation for City Buildings Meeting Date: November 8, 2004 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Central Services Staff Contact: Glen Svendsen www. cl. eugene, or. us Contact Telephone Number: 682-5008 ISSUE STATEMENT The construction, operation and maintenance of City buildings create a range of environmental impacts. In order to implement the City Council policy on Sustainability Principles, the Facility Management Division is applying the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria to the City's facilities. This work session provides the council an overview of how the division is using the LEED "Existing Building," or LEED-EB, criteria to evaluate the sustainability of General Fund buildings, and to develop strategies for improving their environmental performance. BACKGROUND In February 2000, the council adopted Resolution 4618, which called for City departments to promote a sustainable future that meets today's needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs, and accept the responsibility to, among other conservation measures, minimize human impacts on local, regional and worldwide ecosystems. One of the specific sustainable principles to be implemented is that the City will lead by example. The City of Eugene has an opportunity and responsibility to set an example for other organizations by operating its facilities and services in a sustainable manner. The City is committed to assessing its current practices and programs with respect to sustainability objectives. The City is also committed to implementing sustainable practices that address purchasing of products and services, maintenance, facility design, and municipal operations. The LEED system applies the concepts of sustainability directly to the division's core mission: the ongoing operation and maintenance of the City's facilities. The LEED system is well-documented and based on the consensus of a large number of industry professionals. Using the LEED system enables the division to concentrate on implementing the guidelines, rather than spending the effort to develop its own evaluation system. The comprehensiveness of the LEED systems allows staff to expand from the current preventive maintenance and energy conservation approach to a much broader focus including site management, water use, characteristics of materials and indoor environmental quality. The broad focus of the system gives us a framework to help coordinate sustainability efforts across City departments. L:\CMO\2004 Council Agendas\M041108\S041108B.doc