Recollective is planning to stir the pot around the issue of "LEED Equivalency" and you're all invited to witness, heckle and throw tomatoes.  What does LEED Equivalency really mean?  Since there is no objective standard, every municipality and agency that claims Equivalency has a different interpretation, from a simple 1-page LEED scorecard to full documentation and energy modeling.

Without clear direction from the municipality/agency, how should one respond as developer or consultant?  Should we as developers and consultants in Vancouver try to agree on what LEED Equivalency means to us, or can municipalities do this?  Can developers and consultants agree on what it means? 

Also, as many of you know, LEED Equivalency is a contentious issue with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), as it dilutes the LEED brand, and is perceived generally to result in relatively poorer performing buildings.  Or does it?

Join us on March 11 at 4pm at our office (with beer!). We're inviting city policy planners from as many municipalities in BC as possible, along with staff and board members from the CaGBC and Cascadia, as well as several private developers, and the general green building community to have an informal conversation about what LEED Equivalency means.

Our ambitious objective is to reach a common definition for LEED Equivalency.

Panelists include:

• Thomas Mueller, President, Canada Green Building Council
• Heather Tremain, Principal, Urban Fabric (formerly of reSource reThinking Building)
• David Ramslie, Sustainable Development Program Manager, City of Vancouver
• Mona Lemoine, Education Director, Cascadia Region Green Building Council
• and more!

Please spread the word!