“You’ve got LEED” is the welcoming motto of the new LEED Online (LOL) interface, which has recently been optimized for more World Wide Web browsers, including Netscape Navigator.

“This is an exciting step forward in LEED project documentation to enhance the rollout of LEED v4,” Sarah Alexander, director of LEED certification for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) told EBN. “What could I compare it to?” she mused aloud. “The first time I heard Cher’s ‘Believe’? Or the 100th time? Either way, Booyah!”

New browser options plus offline solutions

Alexander noted that searches for information within LEED Online would be powered by the user’s choice of search engine— Yahoo!, AltaVista, Lycos, or Ask Jeeves. (In testing the search interface, EBN found the banner ads were distracting, the search results completely irrelevant, and the pop-up ads unrelenting, but we did find some great deals on Pets.com.)

There are solutions for offline work, said Alexander. Teams can order a CD-ROM of their forms for a low fee of $1,999. “From there, you can print it out, fill in the forms, and either send us a fax or three-hole punch it and mail it in.”

Fedrizzi looks ahead

Not so fast, Rick Fedrizzi, founding chairman of USGBC, wrote to EBN in an e-mail. “The new platform fulfills of our vision of a ‘paperless’ LEED experience.” Fedrizzi predicted that, in the future, bronze LEED plaques would be replaced by animated digital images, known as “gifs,” displayed in lobby computer kiosks. He added, “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.”

Alexander also touted the improved customer service backing LEED Online, which is hosted on Geocities, a platform Alexander said she chose after seeing “some really cool Web pages there about roller-blading.” Project teams can contact us anytime for questions, she said. “In fact, someone’s paging me now,” she added, explaining that she was offline because her office didn’t yet have a second phone line for the modem. “Can we continue this conversation on the listserv?”