Green Building Professional Certification
Gardens on rooftops, showers for your employees, bike racks and home-owner education. These are just a few things that may be included in a "green" building. With the popularity of green building increasing, standardizations and professional certifications are continuing to be developed.
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National Green Building Program
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The National Green Building Program provides education on green building techniques as well as certifications for both individual residential building projects and building professionals themselves. The certification is based on the National Green Building Standard, which was developed in 2007 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and the International Code Council. Certification is granted through a scoring system in areas of "energy, water and resource efficiency, lot and site development, indoor environmental quality, and home owner education."
Certification can be earned for a variety of residential construction projects. Some include new single-family and multiunit residential homes, renovations of single-family and multiresidential homes and additions to single-family homes that are less than 75 percent of the original square footage.
Under the National Green Building Program, certification is not available for additions to multiunit residential buildings, developments that are strictly nonresidential and additions to single family homes that are greater than 75 percent of the original square footage.
The parameters for earning a Certified Green Professional designation are taking NAHB-approved training totaling 24 hours and participating in continuing education every three years. Courses are available through the NAHB, topics include economical green building techniques and consumer benefits of green building.
LEED
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Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an international third-party, green building certification program. LEED standards are developed through multicommittee review. The certification is designed specifically to be applicable to both commercial and residential building projects. You can also become an LEED Accredited Professional.
The project certification measures performance in several areas including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, location and linkages, awareness and education, innovation in design and regional priority.
There are many types of LEED Professional Credentials available. Each is designed for specific areas in the building industry. The Green Building Certification Institute is in charge of all education and testing associated with acquiring and maintaining these professional credentials.
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Green Advantage
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Green Advantage is an organization that provides education and resources to green builders as well as certification for builders and other building professionals. Whereas the National Green Building Program and LEED offer professional designations and project-based certifications, Green Advantage offers professional certifications solely. The certification is acquired by taking a test, and Certified Professionals need to retake the test every three years.
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