MR 5.1 & 5.2: Regional Materials
The intent of this credit is to have construction sites use materials that are considered “local”. The thing which defines “local” is being harvested and manufactured within 500 miles of the jobsite. The reason this is a sustainable practice is because it helps cut down on the emissions and fuel consumption used in transporting materials across the country or around the world. However, what if the materials are harvested 500 miles south of the jobsite, trucked 1000 miles north to a spot just 500 miles north of the jobsite for manufacturing, then trucked to a spot 500 miles east of the jobsite for storage, then finally trucked 500 miles from the warehouse to the jobsite. Total miles that those materials traveled is now over 2k, might as well have come from across the country.
Either way, the restrictions do support the use of regional materials. You get credit 5.1 for having 10% of your material cost on local materials, and you get credit 5.2 if you bump that percentage up to 20%. If you bump that number up to 40%, you can qualify for an exemplary performance point too. You can double up on points if you are buying rapidly renewable, recycled or reused materials locally.
This is part of the construction submittal documentation.