Some organizations have designed standards by which to measure a building’s health and efficiency ratings. These ratings focus on the health of the building itself as well as the building’s local and global impacts.

BREEAM
Britain’s BREEAM program — “BREEAM” stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method”–was established to assess indoor environmental quality and covers a wide range of buildings, from superstores and supermarkets to new and existing offices.

BREEAM is a voluntary program that allows building owners and occupants to find out about their impacts on a variety of environmental factors, including ozone depletion, global warming, and the destruction of rainforests and other resources. It also illuminates a number of other building issues, from noise and air pollution to lighting and hazardous materials. For more information on BREEAM, click here.