Name: Sara Schoen
Title: Commercial Market Development Associate
Organization: U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
Years with USGBC: 2.5
My primary responsibilities: “My responsibilities with USGBC include the hospitality market and the volume certification pilot program—a program that allows companies to certify blocks of buildings in aggregate. I am working to make LEED more accessible for international projects and am also working on the Building Performance Partnership (BPP). Through BPP we collect LEED certified building performance data.”
Organization’s most significant lodging-related accomplishment so far: “The increase in the number of properties earning LEED certification. It’s a great accomplishment to have so many hotels working toward LEED.”
Organization’s most significant lodging-related challenge: “Right now it is Energy Star because of the changes to the rating model related to hotels. We don’t have enough energy usage data for hotels of different types to know if the Energy Star rating is accurate.” (Hotels eligible for LEED certification under the LEED for Existing Buildings program earn points based on their Energy Star scores.)
What I like most about what I do: “I would say I enjoy the fast pace of it. I get to dabble in a lot of interesting areas and topics. I get to travel to new places and attend industry conferences.”
WASHINGTON, D.C.—As the U.S. Green Building Council’s point person for lodging, Sara Schoen is a very busy person. Even in the midst of the recent recession, there was little letup in interest in the organization’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program. While there are just 52 hotels LEED certified, more than 1,000 projects are registered for certification.
“In the hospitality market, there’s been a huge increase in interest in LEED,” Schoen says. “If we had not been in a downturn, we would have seen even more growth.”
For those not familiar with LEED, it is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.
Points-Based Measurement System
LEED is a points-based system. Points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts. Additionally, 10 bonus credits are available, four of which address regionally specific environmental issues. A project must satisfy all prerequisites and earn a minimum number of points to be certified. The Green Building Certification Institute administers LEED certification for all commercial and institutional projects registered under any LEED Rating System.
Owners of hotels can pursue either LEED for New Construction or LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance. Of the 52 hotels now certified, 42 earned LEED for New Construction and 10 LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance. Because USGBC takes a consensus-based approach to its certification programs, they are always evolving and improving. In fact, Schoen says there may soon be a new credit to address FF&E (furniture, fixtures and equipment). A decision will be made by the end of the year.
“The purpose of the addition is to correct the perception that there is not enough attention paid to renovations,” she says.
For those companies that have projects that have earned LEED certification, Schoen says the benefits have been significant. In addition to operational cost savings, hotels have gained from increased occupancy, increased sales, a better guest experience, and more guest loyalty. LEED certification has also boosted staff morale and provided marketing and public relations opportunities.
“There are a lot of good reasons to do it,” Schoen says. “Third party certification is important and guests really do care about who they give their business to.”
Almost 80 Regional Chapters
Schoen is part of a huge green building movement with the USGBC at the core. There are now more than 200 USGBC staff members and 78 regional chapters. There are more than 18,000 member companies and more than 140,000 LEED Professional Credential holders. According to USGBC, greater building efficiency can meet 85 percent of future U.S. demand for energy, and a U.S. commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million jobs.
During a typical day, Schoen fields calls from hotel developers and designers and says she is often “buried” in LEED reference guides. For the University of Maryland graduate, who studied economics and sociology, working for USGBC has been a valuable experience. “I have always been an amateur environmentalist,” she says.
Go to the U.S. Green Building Council. Sara can be reached by e-mail at sschoen@usgbc.org.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
