NMHC's Paula Cino

When industry observers think of sustainable-building standards, often the first program that comes to mind is the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) initiative. The LEED rating system, widely considered the industry-sustainability standard, gives developers points toward specific steps they can take to make their projects greener, like building with recycled materials and installing efficient HVAC systems. The more points, the higher the level of certification. One organization, the National Multi Housing Council, felt that LEED and other similar standards didn’t quite meet its constituents. So the organization has come up with its own system, called National Green Building Standard, to specifically address the multi-family sector. Paula Cino, the director of energy and environment for the NMHC, recently spoke with us about what makes her organization’s program different and sustainability trends in multi-housing:

GlobeSt.com: Why did you feel that there was a need to set up an alternative to programs like LEED?

Cino: First of all, we have to recognize that the National Green Building Standards serves dual purposes. It provides multifamily firms with uniform guidance on green building practices, and it establishes the first consensus-based standards for jurisdictions considering mandatory green building requirements. Where that differs from other programs, such as LEED, is that those programs were not well suited for multifamily buildings.