LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a green certification program for building design, construction, operations and maintenance. LEED has been recognized worldwide as a major standard to rate environmental performance in buildings.

LEED certification itself applies only to building projects, not products or services. However, the use of LEED compliant products helps to contribute valuable points toward earning green building status for projects targeted for certification. The use of Tera-Lite’s LEED compliant Tera-Gem III Epoxy Coating Systems can provide you and your project with green building credit potential.

Tera-Gem III Products can be covered under these LEED rating systems:

– LEED for Building Design & Construction (LEED BD+C): Applies to buildings that are being newly constructed or going through a major renovation; includes New Construction, Core & Shell, Schools, Retail, Hospitality, Data Centers, Warehouses & Distribution Centers, and Healthcare.

– LEED for Building Operation & Maintenance (LEED O+M): Applies to existing buildings that are undergoing improvement work or little to no construction; includes Existing Buildings, Schools, Retail, Hospitality, Data Centers, and Warehouses & Distribution Centers.

– LEED for Interior Design & Construction (LEED ID+C): Applies to projects of commercial interiors and tenant spaces that offer a healthy, sustainable, and productive work environment.

Tera-Lite can contribute 1-2 credits for the following areas:

LEED Environmental Quality Credit 4.1 – 4.2: Low Emitting Materials

This credit is achieved through the use of low-emitting materials to reduce the amount of indoor air contaminants that are odorous, irritating, and/or harmful to the comfort and wellbeing of the installers and building occupant. Tera-Gem III Epoxy Coating Systems use VOC (volatile organic compounds) free resins, binders, and primers.

LEED Materials & Resources Credit 5.1 – 5.2: Regional Materials

To earn this credit, materials used must be extracted, harvested, recovered, or manufactured within 500 miles. Tera-Lite is located in San Jose, CA. The aggregates we use in our Tera-Gem III IFS and Tera-Gem III CRS systems are mined in Marina, CA (approx. 63 miles). The aggregate we use in our Tera-Gem III DQ Dolo system is mined in Salinas, CA (approx. 60 miles). This qualifies as regionally manufactured and regionally extracted on most U.S. projects.

LEED is sponsored by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). For more information, please visit their website at www.usgbc.org.