USGBC LEED-GA Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

USGBC LEED-GA Online Questions & Answers

• Question 311:

  An owner of newly acquired land wants to design a building that uses materials that have minimal impact on the environment. Which of the following strategies would help achieve this goal?

  A. Life-cycle assessment
  B. Life-cycle costing
  C. Simple payback
  D. Environmental assessment
  A. Life-cycle assessment

  ---

  A life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a strategy that can help an owner of newly acquired land design a building that uses materials that have minimal impact on the environment. An LCA is a method that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or material over its entire life cycle, from extraction to disposal. An LCA can measure the impacts on various categories, such as energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, resource depletion, and waste generation..An LCA can help compare different products or materials based on theirenvironmental performance and select the ones that have the lowest impact13..

  References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, EPA's Life CycleAssessment

• Question 312:

  Which third party certification is recommended to use when specifying sustainable cleaning products?

  A. Greenguard"
  B. Green Seal'.'
  C. Green Label Plus*
  D. Design for the Environment
  B. Green Seal'.'

  ---

  Green Seal is a third-party certification program that evaluates the environmental impacts of cleaning products and services. It has standards for various categories of products, such as cleaners, paper products, hand soaps, and floor care. Green Seal certified products meet rigorous performance, health, and environmental criteria. By using Green Seal certified products, projects can reduce the exposure of building occupants and maintenance personnel to potentially harmful chemicals, improve indoor air quality, and support sustainable purchasing practices..

  References: LEED v4 Reference Guide for Building Operations and Maintenance, p..109.1;.Green Seal website

• Question 313:

  Select the type of approach that promotes the conservation of Materials and Resources by linking elements in order to form relationships with their function

  A. Open Flow
  B. Closed Flow
  C. Open Systems
  D. Closed Systems
  D. Closed Systems

  ---

  Closed systems are systems that promote the conservation of materials and resources by linking elements in order to form relationships with their function. Closed systems aim to minimize waste, energy loss, and environmental impact by reusing, recycling, or regenerating materials within the system boundaries. Closed systems can be inspired by natural ecosystems, where waste from one process becomes food for another process..An example of a closed system is a building that collects rainwater for

  irrigation, uses solar panels for electricity, composts organic waste forfertilizer, and recycles greywater for flushing toilets1...

  References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, Biomimicry Institute's What is Biomimicry?

• Question 314:

  An office building is located in an area without public transit access. Which of the following strategies should the office use to promote alternative transportation?

  A. Offer preferred parking for single-use vehicles
  B. Develop a carpooling program for building occupants
  C. Provide additional parking
  D. Require the local transit authority to add a new route to the site
  B. Develop a carpooling program for building occupants

  ---

  LEED encouragesTransportation Demand Managementstrategies to reduce single-occupancy vehicle use when access to public transit is not available. One such strategy is:

  "Encouraging carpooling... provides options to users in areas without access to transit."

  Offering preferred parking for single-use vehicles contradicts the intent, and LEED cannot require changes to local transit systems. Providing extra parking encourages single-occupancy vehicle use.

• Question 315:

  One of the requirements for the Sustainable Sites Credit. Rainwater Management is that projects must

  A. maximize open space within the LEED project Boundary
  B. calculate the total rainwater runoff for 75th percentile rainfall events
  C. use Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development techniques within the LEED project boundary
  D. use a combination of both structural and non-structural measures to manage a 90th percentile rainfall event
  C. use Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Development techniques within the LEED project boundary

  ---

  One of the requirements for the Sustainable Sites Credit: Rainwater Management is that projects must use Green Infrastructure (GI) and Low Impact Development (LID) techniques within the LEED project boundary. GI and LID are design approaches that mimic natural hydrologic processes to manage stormwater runoff at its source. GI and LID techniques include strategies such as rain gardens, bioswales, permeable pavements, green roofs, rain barrels, cisterns, and vegetated buffers. The other options

  are not requirements for the Sustainable Sites Credit: Rainwater Management. Maximizing open space within the LEED project boundary is a requirement for the Sustainable Sites Credit: Open Space. Calculating the total rainwater runoff for 75th percentile rainfall events is a requirement for the Sustainable Sites Credit: Site Assessment. Using a combination of both structural and non-structural measures to manage a 90th percentile rainfall event is an option for meeting Option 1 of the Sustainable Sites

  Credit: Rainwater Management..

  References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, page 27; USGBC, [Sustainable Sites], page 4-5.

• Question 316:

  Which of the following is a strategy that a design team should consider In order to decrease the Impact of a new construction project?

  A. Maximize views of the existing wetland
  B. Select native plants to provide habitat for local fauna
  C. Locate the project in an existing office park with ample parking
  D. Increase the project's footprint to maximize roof space for a solar array
  B. Select native plants to provide habitat for local fauna

  ---

  Selecting native plants to provide habitat for local fauna is a strategy that a design team should consider in order to decrease the impact of a new construction project. Native plants are plants that have evolved in a specific region and have adapted to the local climate and soil conditions. Native plants can offer many benefits for the environment, such as: Reducing water use and runoff by requiring less irrigation and fertilization Enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services by supporting native wildlife and pollinators Improving air quality and mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions Increasing soil health and stability by preventing erosion and improving infiltration Creating a sense of place and cultural identity by reflecting the natural heritage of the region The other options are not strategies that would decrease the impact of a new construction project. Maximizing views of the existing wetland may improve occupant satisfaction, but it does not necessarily reduce the environmental footprint of the project. Locating the project in an existing office park with ample parking may reduce land use and transportation impacts, but it may also increase heat island effect and stormwater runoff. Increasing the project's footprint to maximize roof space for a solar array may increase renewable energy generation, but it may also increase site disturbance, material use, and energy demand..

  References: Native Plants

• Question 317:

  What occurs when light from a parking area spreads and surplus lighting spills beyond the project boundary?

  A. Light trespass
  B. Provision of adequate lighting for the project
  C. Decrease in stress to nocturnal animals
  D. Light division
  A. Light trespass

  ---

  LEED credits in the Sustainable Sites category emphasize minimizing light trespass: "Good exterior lighting design results in the reduction of three forms of light pollution: uplight, glare, and light trespass." Light trespass refers to unwanted light spilling over beyond the site boundary, negatively affecting adjacent properties and ecosystems.

• Question 318:

  Utilizing recycled materials achieves the green building objective of

  A. minimizing the need for landfills
  B. promoting the use of virgin materials and resources
  C. encouraging environmentally responsible forest management
  D. increasing demand for products extracted and manufactured within the region
  A. minimizing the need for landfills

  ---

  Utilizing recycled materials achieves the green building objective of minimizing the need for landfills. Recycled materials are materials that have been recovered or diverted from the waste stream and processed into new products or materials. Utilizing recycled materials can reducethe amount of waste that is sent to landfills or incinerators, which can have negative impacts on the environment, such as occupying valuable land, contaminating soil and water, and emitting harmful gases..Utilizing recycled materials can also save natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and lower disposal costs..

  References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, EPA's Recycling Basics

• Question 319:

  The water use reduction for a project is determined by finding the difference between the baseline conditions and the

  A. local water usage rate
  B. project occupancy type
  C. calculated installed case
  D. permitted maximum water usage
  C. calculated installed case

  ---

  The water use reduction for a project is determined by finding the difference between the baseline conditions and the calculated installed case. The baseline conditions are the water use of the project if it were designed to meet the minimum requirements of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 or a local equivalent, whichever is more stringent. The calculated installed case is the water use of the project based on the actual fixtures and fittings installed or specified. The water use reduction is calculated as a

  percentage of savings from the baseline conditions. The LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook states that one of the strategies for achieving water efficiency is to "calculate water use reduction by comparing a building project's water use with the water use baseline calculated for the building after meeting the Energy Policy Act of 1992 fixture performance requirements" [1, p. 14]..

  References: LEED Green Associate Candidate Handbook, [Water Use Reduction | U.S. Green Building Council]

• Question 320:

  Which strategy can be used during the building process and after occupation to reduce waste?

  A. Implement a recycling program
  B. Use certified lumber for framing
  C. Use grey water for flushing of toilets
  D. Develop a Sustainable Purchasing Policy
  A. Implement a recycling program

  ---

  Recycling is a strategy that can be used during the building process and after occupation to reduce waste. Recycling involves collecting, sorting, processing, and reusing or selling materials that would otherwise be discarded as waste..Recycling can save natural resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and lower disposal costs1...Recycling can also help to achieveLEED credits in the Materials and Resources category by reducing the amount of construction and demolition waste generated by the project or by diverting waste from landfills or incinerators..

  References: LEED v4 Green Associate Candidate Handbook1, EPA's Recycling Basics2, LEED v4 BD+C Reference Guide