Science and Technology of New York City

Carlson, Scott. “Cost And Red Tape Hamper Colleges’ Efforts To Go Green. (Cover Story).” Chronicle Of Higher Education 54.31 (2008): A1-A17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.

The author is Scott Carlson, a senior reporter at the “Chronicle of Higher Education.” His articles focus specifically on architecture, sustainability, and energy. In this article, he focuses on college officials’ skepticism and opinions on LEED certification. Many colleges and universities are forgoing LEED certification nowadays because it is too costly, cumbersome, and emphasizes less important aspects of green building. Many schools believe that they can use the time and money saved from not certifying to build greener facilities. Because LEED certification is based on a point system, schools whose priorities focus on cost will often aim to complete the least costly points in order to achieve their desired rating. As a result, they neglect more important savings and features. The building might be LEED certified, but is no greener than a convention building. Carlson backs up these claims with statements by college officials and architectural firms.

However, although Carlson focuses on the cons of LEED certification, he does mention why many colleges choose to be LEED certified. Some reasons include: the brand name brings prestige, it is important for the school’s image, and the third-party verification can check that the school is not falsely advertising green features and that the components are correctly installed and as efficient as the manufacturers claimed. The author presents both sides of the argument for/against LEED certification. This article calls for colleges and universities to really think about the best way to build a green building in conjunction with money, time, efficiency, accuracy, and brand. Although is it slightly biased against certification, the author does a good job of balancing the argument and presenting alternative ideas/changes to the LEED system. This article is relevant to our project because CUNY is pushing for LEED certified buildings on its campuses. We can look at the cost-efficiency of CUNY’s plans and how they play into Brooklyn College’s new buildings.