By Heather Benjamin at USGBC
LEED is the go-to green building rating system for architects and builders worldwide. But in the quest to make our entire environment healthier and more sustainable, there are also other, specialized ways to achieve our goals—such as Parksmart, for parking facilities, and SITES, for landscape design.
There are many places where LEED intersects with these other rating systems so that your project can achieve both. For example, you can use LEED credits to achieve Parksmart credits, and vice versa. Take a quick look at our crosswalk resources:
Parksmart
LEED-certified projects often include high-performance garages employing sustainable parking and transportation tools and practices. In June, GBCI released a guidance document with a detailed list of credits within LEED that can also apply toward earning Parksmart certification. Download the synergies document.
SITES
In 2016, SITES released a list of over 40 credit substitutions, so that similar credits need only be earned in one rating system, not both. Many SITES and LEED credits are almost identical. Now, it is also possible for LEED v4 projects to automatically earn all the points in the Sustainable Sites credit category in LEED when they achieve SITES v2 Gold certification or higher. Download the synergies document.
2018 International Green Construction Code
The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is in the process of being harmonized with ASHRAE Standard 189.1 for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings. The merger of these two technical documents into one green code will begin to take shape in the next version of the IgCC, due to be published in the summer of 2018. Learn more.
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PE | Associate, LeMessurier
Vice President, AEW’s Architecture & Engineering group
Interior Designer, Jacobs, Boston
Senior Vice President, Market Transformation and Development U.S. Green Building Council
AIA LEED AP BD+C | Senior Associate, Gensler Boston 
LEED Fellow, WELL AP | Founder and Principal, Ecoworks Studio
AIA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP
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Assistant Professor of Exposure Science | Director of the Healthy Buildings program
Managing Director, Harvard University Office for Sustainability
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Founder and President, Board of the Healthy Building Network
Building Technology Director, Kingspan North America
LEED® AP ID+C, BD+C, USGBC Faculty, WELL® AP, WELL Faculty and Fitwel Ambassador
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