Net Zero Certifications and Baseball Have Nothing in Common, but I Tried Anyway

What does Net Zero Mean?

I could try to make up a fun story about a client asking me for help navigating green building certifications related to net zero. The problem is, I’m not a very good storyteller. Instead, as I write this during the first weekend of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, I’m tempted to just make this blog post one giant metaphor, comparing net zero certifications to baseball.  

So that’s what I’m going to do.  

Will this fly over the heads of some? Probably.  

Will it seem silly to others? Yes, absolutely.  

But maybe, just maybe, it’ll hit home for a few of you out there.

The traditional way of thinking of net zero is probably through the lens of operational energy; do you produce the same or more energy than you consume on-site? This approach may be appropriate for some building types, but less so for others.  For instance, single story distribution centers, in my opinion, should almost default to net zero operational energy because they have large roof areas for rooftop PV and relatively low energy use relative to the solar production potential of the roof. A large multi-story office building on the other hand would find it much more challenging because they’re essentially the opposite: high energy use relative to rooftop solar production potential.  

To start, I’ll just ask the pertinent question and go from there. What does net zero mean?  

And then to answer, I could tell a fun story to make you believe I’m an expert. But instead, I’ll answer this question with another one (swing and a miss): what does net zero mean to YOU?  If you have an answer to that, or at least a vague idea, there’s a good chance that there’s a green building certification out there to fit your needs.

Let’s take a look at a few. Here’s the starting lineup:

Living Building Challenge, The All-Star

Enter Living Future (former ILFI) to address all manner of net zero situations. These programs are the all-stars, the year in, year out producers of the net zero certifications game.  Why? Because they set ambitious goals for net zero energy and provide the Living Future name recognition to back it up.  

ILFI Zero Energy, simply put, requires a building’s energy balance over the course of a 12-month period to be net zero, or positive. In other words, does a building produce more energy than it consumes on-site?  Straightforward, but at the same time ambitious, especially for certain project types. This is the five-tool outfielder of the bunch. If Mookie Betts or Mike Trout were a green building certification, they’d be ILFI Zero Energy.

What about ILFI Zero Carbon?  On the whole, the concept is the same, but with added requirements and nuances.  A building still needs to be net zero energy over the course of the year, but new “additive” off-site renewable energy is permissible to achieve this target.  Additionally, since “Carbon” has been added to the name, embodied carbon targets are thrown into the mix.  Reduce embodied carbon of new construction materials by 20%, then offset the remaining through the purchase of off-site carbon offsets. The bottom line here is if you have a target of demonstrating real carbon reductions for your building, this is the gold standard for demonstrating success. Shohei Ohtani is the only comparable baseball reference I can make as it’s an all-encompassing carbon reduction standard. This certification pitches and hits. It does it all.

Arguably the most prestigious green building certification, the Living Building Challenge doesn’t just play the game – it changes it. This program doesn’t settle for net zero energy alone; it demands a regenerative, place-based, and performance-verified approach across multiple “Petals” of sustainability. That includes Net Positive Energy, Water, and Waste. Not just neutrality, but CONTRIBUTION. If other programs ask “How do we reduce harm?” LBC asks, “How do we leave things better than we found them?” It’s a full nine-inning, all-position, Hall of Fame kind of recognition.

LEED Zero, The Utility Player

Every team has at least one person with no true position but can be plugged in just about anywhere on the field and make a serviceable contribution.  This comparison is the whole reason I’m writing a blog post about net zero certifications through the lens of baseball because it perfectly describes LEED Zero.  There are four programs that carry the LEED Zero name: Carbon, Energy, Water, and Waste, which can be plugged into pretty much any previously LEED-certified project to demonstrate “net zero”.  

LEED Zero Energy is achieved by demonstrating that building source energy use is zero over the course of the year. Zero Carbon takes it one step further and adds carbon emissions associated with transportation to and from the building into the equation. Add this to building source energy and subtract on and off-site renewable energy or carbon offsets and show you’re zero for certification.  Off-site renewable energy or carbon offsets, as long as they’re Green-e certified, are permitted.

LEED Zero Waste requires achieving a Platinum level certification from GBCI’s TRUE rating system. TRUE projects must, at a minimum, divert 90% of waste from landfills and incineration among other prerequisites. After this is met, teams have the opportunity to select from a menu of credits to earn points, similar to how a design/construction team would go about a traditional LEED project. A minimum of 64 out of 81 points from the menu must be achieved to achieve TRUE Platinum, and therefore LEED Zero Waste.

The zero water certification, to me, is the most esoteric of the LEED Zero programs. A project achieves LEED Zero Water certification by showing that its “water balance” over the course of the year is zero or positive, meaning more water is collected and reused, treated, etc. than is consumed. The issue is that it’s not always easy to quantify water that is “collected” onsite, as LEED’s definition can go beyond active collection systems. Shameless plug: but if you’re interested in a net zero water program like this, contact us for help. Our team of building science experts can help quantify the different pieces of the water equation and get you on the path towards net zero.

RESET, The Prospect

RESET Air, originally known for its real-time indoor air quality monitoring framework, has expanded into a broader suite of operational standards for energy, carbon, water, and waste. But RESET isn’t alone in this space. Similar operational performance frameworks like WELL, BREEAM In-Use, LEED Operations + Maintenance (O+M), and ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager (plus its new NextGen methodology) all aim to improve and track building performance over time. What sets these programs apart from net zero certifications is their focus on measurement, management, and transparency rather than declaring a building has achieved "zero." These standards help owners and operators build the foundation needed to eventually pursue net zero goals—kind of like a solid farm system developing reliable talent. They focus on ongoing operational data, maintenance practices, and efficiency upgrades rather than one-time targets or offset-based math.

In that way, these operational data standards are teaching the industry to speak a common language: one based in data, consistency, and long-term performance.  

Whether or not RESET will break through in North America—especially in a field where LEED still dominates—remains to be seen. It’s a promising prospect, maybe the next Paul Skenes (let’s go Bucs!), but like any rookie, it’ll need some time on the mound before we know if it can hang in the big leagues.

The Ninth Inning, Concluding Thoughts

So, yeah… net zero certifications and baseball don’t really have a lot in common. But metaphor or not, they’re both built on strategy, stats, and can fuel a whole lot of passion on both sides.  

If there’s one takeaway here, it’s this: there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all net zero’. The term means different things in different contexts, whether we’re talking about energy use, carbon emissions, waste, or water. So the “right” certification framework depends on YOUR goals, site, budget, and ambition.  

Frameworks can be flashy, versatile, or finding their place in the lineup. But the game is changing as more and more people step up to play. Whether you’re chasing Platinum, installing your first solar array, or just trying to wrap your head around Scope 3 emissions, welcome to the team. You’re now part of something bigger. And while we may not all be swinging for the fences each time you’re up to bat, a well executed bunt can still bring home a runner. Because the point is to keep playing, learning, and making progress towards a decarbonized future.  

So, if you’re interested, let’s talk more (I’d especially like to hear how far off I am with all the metaphors).