In order to achieve LEED for Homes Single Family or Multifamily Low Rise certification, projects must "complete all mandatory measures of ENERGY STAR for Homes version 3" but there is no requirement to fully certify. The new 45L tax credit for all ENERGY STAR certified projects financially incentivizes the certification and has sparked interest in the program from LEED professionals and developers. With this opportunity, LEED Consultants should be promoting the benefits of double certifying. On close examination, it is easy to see that that every LEED for Homes project should certify ENERGY STAR and every ENERGY STAR Home should certify LEED for Homes. The ENERGY STAR Homes and Multifamily New Construction programs provide updated and clear documentation, additional quality assurance, and robust technical and marketing resources. All of these are in service to maximizing energy efficiency without compromising occupant health. But, at the end of the day, ENERGY STAR is primarily an energy efficiency program and does not significantly address all the pillars of sustainable construction. LEED for Homes provides guidance on all the pillars of sustainable construction, not just energy efficiency. LEED comes with its own catalog of resources and marketing tools. Adding LEED certification to an ENERGY STAR project will ensure that every aspect of sustainable construction is considered, incorporated, and verified. The result for the end user is a truly sustainable dwelling that has been verified by the best programs available.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals found in many products we use to build and maintain our homes, and in the subsurface of post-industrial cities like Detroit. They emanate from landfills, brown fields and Superfund sites, contaminating shallow soils and groundwater below residential, commercial and industrial properties. Even as exposure to VOCs, like benzene and formaldehyde, has been linked to adverse birth and developmental outcomes, Detroit has the highest preterm birth rate in the country at 15.2%. This suggests that, given the surplus of contaminated sites in Detroit, testing for VOCs and engaging broader audiences about their health impact is crucial. Our team will share best practices of how we accomplish this task: 1) creating a Community Advisory Board with key leaders and experts; 2) organizing home visits in collaboration with homeowners to obtain testing samples; 3) facilitating community forums where citizens can talk with researchers; 4) and by using graphic recordings to explain the research being undertaken to detect VOCs and learn how they impact community health.

What do the following projects have in common? They are: The Checker Cab, Detroit; The Metropolitan Building, Detroit; LinkedIn Detroit Regional Headquarters, Detroit; Flint Journal Building, Flint; Second Avenue Greenway Planning Project, Detroit. They all hold a tremendous amount of social history and meaning to folks who grew up in the neighborhoods. They have also become catalysts for redevelopment and are recognizable anchors that hold the history and hope of these neighborhoods. Often, neighborhood-based organizations have a challenging time establishing a physical home for their members. Existing buildings, often in disrepair or with a significant amount of deferred maintenance, are considered as assets by lenders. Renovating them, as funding becomes available, or with initially significant effort followed by strategic additional investments over time, can provide a much less intimidating and sound investment strategy for such organizations. And it helps with acceptance from folks who are long term residents of such neighborhoods, who often see a tremendous value in re-invigorating a formerly beloved building and bringing a new life to it.