Obtain LEED Credits by protecting Natural Landscape with Land In Trust

LEED 2009 for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (USA and International)
LEED Canada for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance 2009 (Canada)
LEED 2009 for Neighbourhood Development (Canada)

These LEED credits are cost effective and easy to obtain by working with land trusts across the country.

Land In Trust is the LEED credit program of the Canadian Land Trust Alliance (CLTA).

CLTA member land trusts help LEED projects to achieve credits and the CLTA ensures that these credits fulfill all necessary LEED requirements.

Land In Trust is a program that provides a simple, standardized process for LEED projects to achieve these credits and this program is available across most of Canada, all the USA, and many other countries.

Where are these credits mentioned in the LEED documentation?

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance 2009
Sustainable Sites Credit 5: Site Development: Protect or Restore Open Habitat.

LEED 2009 for Neighborhood Development
SLL Prerequisite 2: Imperiled Species and Ecological Communities Conservation
SLL Prerequisite 4: Agricultural Land Conservation
SLL Credit 7: Site Design for Habitat or Wetland and Water Body Conservation
SLL Credit 8: Restoration of Habitat or Wetlands and Water Bodies
SLL Credit 9: Long-Term Conservation Management of Habitat or Wetlands and Water Bodies

Click the arrow to show extracts of the LEED 2009 documentation, highlighting which LEED credits can be provided by Land In Trust. One of these credits specifically mentions the Canadian Land Trust Alliance, others mention land trusts in general.

What is Land In Trust?

Land In Trust is a program designed to help LEED projects achieve various credits. A collaboration between the Canadian Land Trust Alliance, Trees In Trust and fifteen charitable land trusts, Land In Trust provides a straightforward way to achieve a cost effective LEED credit with the minimum of paperwork.

Trees In Trust is a member of the Canadian Land Trust Alliance (CLTA) and has been working with CLTA land trusts across Canada since 2007 to help them preserve endangered landscapes.  Trees In Trust has been providing credits to LEED projects under the CaGBC and USGBC accreditation processes since 2009.

Costs and Benefits of these LEED credits

LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance, Sustainable Sites Credit 5
In exchange for a payment of $2000 per acre of natural landscape, here is the package provided to you:

Quotation and/or Invoice provided instantly
Map coordinates of the land that has been protected by your LEED project 
Natural Area Conservation and Maintenance Contract, to the LEED 2009 specification
Free publicity for the organization that has helped to save endangered landscape

The main benefit of obtaining this credit from Land In Trust is that we have everything in place to make the process as fast and as smooth as possible.  The CLTA ensures that, for the duration of the contract, all LEED obligations are adhered to.  And finally, you don't have to worry about follow-up audits, maintenance payments or anything else, we've got it covered.

In Canada, projects applying for Credit SS5 must be within 800km of the respective natural area. Right now that allows us to offer this credit service in most of Ontario, most of Quebec, the Maritimes, Newfoundland, Saskatchewan, most of Alberta and Manitoba.  There is no such distance requirement for Credit SS5 in the USA, so we are able to provide this credit service for projects across the USA and internationally.

LEED for Neighborhood Development
These credits usually require an individually tailored contract to address the specifics of the site involved in the project.  The closest land trust to the project will supply the credit.  The cost of these credits will vary depending upon the nature and the amount of work involved.

Due to the nature of the Neighborhood Development credits, we are only able to offer this credit service in Canada.

And for all of our credits...
There are no additional charges, the initial cost covers all maintenance and inspection as specified by the LEED 2009 documentation.

The minimum payment for any credit is $2000.

How to acquire a LEED credit

Click 'Acquire a Credit' on the menu. We will do all the work for you. Simple as that!

Useful links

Canadian Land Trust Alliance - The national organization of land trusts, which oversees the Land In Trust program.

Trees In Trust - the organization delivering the Land In Trust program, which has been working with land trusts since 2007.

CLTA Press Release 8th June 2011: GREEN BUILDINGS HELP LAND TRUSTS CONSERVE PRIVATE LAND