Climbing the Green Ladder: 5 Sites for Great Green Jobs

By Vicki Zambito

Earlier this month President Obama introduced the Better Buildings Initiative in an effort to make U.S. buildings more energy efficient. Part of his vision for a cleaner, greener future, it includes a new tax credit and grant competition among cities and states to help achieve the new energy conservation goals.

Some are calling the proposed program “an excellent blueprint to re-employ the construction workforce, modernize our built environment and help ensure our nation’s energy security,” and the growth of the green job industry is good news for AEC professionals.

Ready to climb the green ladder? Here are 5 opportunity-packed websites to check out!

5 Great Websites for Green Job Seekers:

www.greenjobs.com
Greenjobs’ goal is to be “the leading provider of renewable energy employment services and information”. Highlights include a monthly newsletter and a Green Directory of businesses, governments and associations focused on green building.

www.greenjobstore.com
Provides links and information about green career opportunities, including a “Featured Jobs of the Week” list, helpful videos, Green Business News, and the Green Job Blog.

www.greenjobsready.com
Quick and easy job search site includes a green job board, blog, articles, and helpful tips on green training for professionals seeking to advance their green career opportunities.

http://twitter.com/greendreamjobs
Green Dream Jobs is an easy-to-access source for information about green building jobs, renewable energy jobs, organic jobs, and environmental and sustainable jobs.

www.ecoemploy.com
Offers a broad list of environmental jobs and careers in the U.S., with helpful links to environmental agencies and employer websites as well as résumé tips and career information.

Tick Tock Goes the LEED Clock

By Jeff Nippes

Every time I write the date I can’t believe it is 2011. We’re already into February, and before we know it the summer will be here—then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and on to 2012. Time is relentless, always ticking, always moving forward. It seems like just the other day it was 2009 and LEED V3 was released, and here we are approaching the second anniversary of the latest version of LEED.

So what exactly does that two-year mark mean? It means credential maintenance will be coming due for LEED professionals who have a LEED with Specialty credential (anyone who tested after June of 2009) and that the window to upgrade for LEED APs without Specialty (anyone who tested under a previous version of LEED) to a LEED AP with Specialty—through prescriptive credential maintenance without retesting—is running out. That window to enroll in the prescriptive Credential Maintenance Program closes in the fall of 2011. Note: previous versions of LEED did not require credential maintenance. The requirement for LEED APs with Specialty is 30 continuing education hours, 6 of which must be approved as LEED specific. The prescriptive path is the same number of hours, but hours have to be achieved in prescribed categories relative to the applicable specialty.

Getting back to the time issue, 2012 is really just around the corner, and what that means in the LEED world is that a lot of folks are going to start having continuing education hours due. Although many are accustomed to complying with yearly CE requirements, for some of us it will be a new experience. It seems like just the other day when I tested for my Green Associate credential, and here it is over a year later and I’ll be having my credential maintenance coming due. That means it’s time to start thinking about satisfying that requirement so I don’t have to spend this holiday season cramming for continuing education courses.

It can be confusing, so consult the CMP guides to make sure you understand the requirements as well as the approved educational activities. I have included links to the Credential Maintenance Program (CMP) guides from the Green Building Certification Institute below. Of course, the number-one way to satisfy these education requirements is to take approved courses that have been reviewed and approved by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Education Reviewing Body (ERB). Providers such as RedVector will have these courses available, and these courses will often satisfy other professional licenses.

CMP Guide
http://www.gbci.org/Files/cmp_guide.pdf

Prescriptive CMP Guide
http://www.gbci.org/Files/enrollment_guide.pdf