A Bachelor of Environmental Design should not be confused with a Bachelor in Environmental Studies, which though similar, does not train one for graduate professional study in architecture, landscape design, or urban planning.
Though the Bachelor of Environmental Design is not accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board NAAB, like other college degrees, programs in Environmental Design are accredited through their host-institution schools by various regional agencies, such as the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, or the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Bachelor of Environmental Design should not be confused with the M.Arch or the five-year accredited B.Arch degree.
Intersecting disciplines of similar philosophies include permaculture, complementary gardening, sustainable agriculture, zero-energy building design, passive solar architecture, pollution mitigation, cradle-to-grave, open space preservation, New Urbanism, sustainable transportation and traffic planning, multi-modal transportation design etc.
On October 28, 2010, the U.S. General Services Administration moved to mandate LEED certification in all new federal buildings.