The Low-down on LEED CMP

Feeling a little perplexed about earning your stripes under LEED 3.0? You’re not alone. The new credentialing system has a lot of industry professionals confused about what they need to become LEED accredited, so we’ve put together a brief overview to help clear things up.

Under LEED v3 there’s now a three-tiered credentialing system created to help industry professionals achieve and maintain LEED accreditation. The first tier is LEED Green Associate; the second is LEED AP with Specialty; and the third is LEED AP Fellow. Whether your goal is to become a Green Associate or advance to a LEED AP with Specialty, you must first pass the LEED Green Associate Exam—and before that you must do one of two things:

• Successfully complete a LEED Green Associate course; or


• Have verified LEED project experience.

Under the second tier—LEED AP with Specialty—there are five credentials available: LEED Building Design & Construction (LEED AP BD&C); LEED Interior Design & Construction (LEED AP ID&C); LEED Operations & Maintenance (LEED AP O&M); LEED Homes (LEED AP Homes); and LEED Neighborhood Development (LEED AP ND). To meet your professional goals under Tier II, you now have two options:

• Become a LEED AP with Specialty by passing one of the required specialty exams; or


• Complete the prescriptive CMP requirements for the initial 2-year reporting period (see CE and Maintenance Fees).

The third and final tier under the LEED v3 credentialing system is LEED AP Fellow, which is currently still being defined by the GBCI.

CE and Maintenance Fees
In order for professionals to maintain their LEED Green Associate or LEED AP with Specialty credentials under LEED v3, certain steps are now required. LEED Green Associates will be required to pay a maintenance fee every two years and complete 15 hours of CE (three of which must be LEED-specific). Likewise, LEED APs with Specialty must pay a maintenance fee as well as complete 30 hours of CE (six of which must be LEED-specific) every two years from the initial date the credential was received.

And what about Legacy LEED AP?
LEED APs without Specialty or those credentialed prior to April 2009 are considered Legacy LEED APs under LEED v3 and have three options:

• Enroll in the new LEED v3 system before June 2011 and complete the CMP requirements;


• Pass the new (LEED v3) version of the LEED AP with Specialty exam before June 2011; or


• Do nothing before June 2011 and remain a Legacy LEED AP.

(Note: If a Legacy LEED AP chooses to upgrade to a LEED AP with Specialty after the last enrollment window closes in October 2011, he or she will have to start from the beginning and first take—and pass—the Green Associate exam.)

So there you have it—the new LEED CMP in a nutshell! Check out RedVector’s LEED Roadmap for more.

Going Green in 140 Characters or Fewer: 5 Top Twitter Sites

By Vicki Zambito

Baby steps. It’s a phrase used when you want to take things slowly, get your bearings before plowing ahead, test the water before diving right in. It’s also a good way to take on an initiative to live a more sustainable lifestyle. And what better way to take baby steps toward going green than to follow some of the Twitter world’s most popular green experts? The beauty of Twitter is its forced brevity; now you get your dose of green in 140 characters or fewer! I found a great list of green tweeters on mashable.com. Here are five of the most popular:

EcoInteractive: http://twitter.com/EcoInteractive
This is the blog for the Eco Preservation Society, whose website bio says they are “inspiring action, empowering people, connecting communities & transforming the planet through conservation, reforestation & education”. They have more than 105,000 followers.

TreeHugger.com: http://twitter.com/treehugger
Tree Hugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. They have more than 77,000 followers.

GreenBizDaily: http://twitter.com/greenbizdaily
This blog provides real-time news about green energy and the environment. It has almost 50,000 followers.

PlanetGreen.com: http://twitter.com/PlanetGreen
PlanetGreen.com offers practical, everyday tips on how to live a greener lifestyle and provides actionable advice across a variety of topics. They have over 38,000 followers.

Green Life: http://twitter.com/agreenliving
Green Life is a blog for the green enthusiast out there that cares about the environmental issues affecting our planet. They have more than 31,000 followers.

Giving Green: 6 Holiday Gift Guides for the Eco-friendly Shopper

By Vicki Zambito

Don’t let the hustle and bustle of the holiday season derail your efforts to be green. There are plenty of websites out there selling great green gifts. Not only will your conscience love you, but so will your family and friends! Below is a sample of six sites to check out.

Treehugger.com: http://www.treehugger.com/giftguide/?campaign=TH_more_slideshows

From organic bathrobes and reclaimed walnut stools to recycled plastic cell phones, this gift guide keeps you earth-friendly but makes sure you’re still giving the goodies they'll love.

Thedailygreen.com: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/green-gifts

This green gift guide features gifts made by artisans - you won't find them in your people-packed mall! On a side note, make sure you check out their slide show of ugly Christmas sweaters.

Naturemoms.com: http://www.naturemoms.com/green-christmas/best-green-gifts.html

It ain't easy being green... and it ain't easy being a mom either. This useful list includes green gourmet cookware and organic cotton bed sheets.

Thefuntimesguide.com: http://green.thefuntimesguide.com/2010/11/christmas_gifts_for_guys.php

The Fun Times Guide focuses on the top green gifts for guys. For the sports lover in your house, it even lists where you can find fair-trade, vegan, eco-friendly sporting goods. Touchdown!

Greenfeet.com: http://www.greenfeet.com/nav.asp?Gifts=Gift+Guide&gclid=CPuImfbJ8aUCFS9e7AodTGAMpQ

This site bills itself as The Planet's Homestore, and it doesn't disappoint. Check out the wine cork trivet kit, which allows even the hardiest of wine drinkers to be green.

Theultimategreenstore.com: http://www.theultimategreenstore.com/s-62-kids-toys.aspx

Don't forget to start the kids thinking green too! Here's a list of eco-friendly toys for your tots.

Over 1 Billion (sq ft) Served

By: Jeff Nippes

LEED has reached an important milestone. LEED-certified commercial buildings now exceed 1 billion square feet.

"This traction demonstrates the transformation of the way we design, build and operate buildings," said Rick Fedrizzi, USGBC president, CEO & Founding Chair, in a statement. "Not only does green building contribute to saving energy, water and money, it also creates green jobs that will grow and energize our economy."

This doesn’t mean LEED is fool-proof and that every strategy is the best that it can be, but with another 6 billion square feet in commercial projects registered to become LEED certified, LEED is clearly gaining traction and being utilized and pursued at an extraordinary rate. The byproduct of which cannot help but reduce consumption of natural resources and put us on the path toward a sustainable future.

LEED Projects Certified and Registered By Year:

Year. ..# Certified..# Registered
2000....... 3..............8
2001........5.............71
2002.......21...........142
2003.......46...........181
2004......117..........321
2005......201..........692
2006......320..........931
2007......542........3,961
2008......967........7,187
2009....2,290.....10,375
2010....2,682......12,357
Total....7,194...... 36,226

Life Cycle Assessment – Issues with the Green Tool

By: Rumanda Young

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is touted as the premier green decision-making tool (i.e., which product or process has less negative impact on the environment). I agree it is important to determine the sustainability of products or activities by looking at all environmental impacts throughout the product or activity life cycle, including product manufacture, selection, use, maintenance and end-of-life disposal. However, it is incredibly difficult to truly capture a system boundary. In fact, defining the boundary of a system is the most complicated step in the LCA process. The more complex and difficult a system boundary becomes, the more accurate and reliable the results.

Theoretically, a complete life cycle system includes all raw materials and energy sources taken from the earth and ends with all materials either returned (with good or bad consequences) to the earth. Any system boundary delineation for LCA that falls short of this “full circle” boundary is limiting the analysis and conclusions regarding the total system cannot be drawn. Depending on the goal of a study, this may be advantageous. When using the LCA as a tool to compare and evaluate tradeoffs, the analyst must take into consideration anything that limits the system boundary of one product or process, so that the analysis is not skewed. However, too limited a boundary may exclude consequential activities or elements and statements, and findings about the total system impact cannot be reasonably made. The bottom line is that study conclusions are exceedingly sensitive to system boundary delineation. My final thought is that applications and the role of LCA-based information should be interpreted only as far as the system boundary allows, and LCA should be one among several inputs to the environmental decision-making process.

5 Green YouTube Channels To Check Out

By Vicki Zambito

There is no shortage of information when it comes to learning how to incorporate sustainable practices in your every day life. As I mentioned in my previous GreenView post, just google “environmental websites” and you get 31 million results. If you visit YouTube and search for videos on “green living”, you get 132,000 results. So the problem isn’t finding the information, it’s culling it down into something less overwhelming and more manageable. I thought I would help you out. Below are five YouTube Channels I found that are the “real deal” when it comes to giving good green tips and advice. They are in no particular order.

1. Building Green TV: http://www.youtube.com/user/buildinggreentv

This channel includes highlights from Building Green TV (BGTV), a pioneering and entertaining eco-lifestyle television series airing on PBS. Each week, BGTV's host, Kevin Contreras, explores the latest innovations, techniques and products available for making any home greener, more energy efficient and better for the environment. BGTV shows viewers how consciousness can be upscale in a way that speaks as much to our sense of style as it does our sense of responsibility.

Videos of interest:

Landscaping Tips: http://www.youtube.com/user/buildinggreentv#p/a/u/1/R70zrIEI2JM

Windows & Doors: http://www.youtube.com/user/buildinggreentv#p/u/11/sZhwT2GUPjU

2. Planet Green TV: http://www.youtube.com/user/PlanetGreenTV

Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment -- providing tools, information and content that will enlighten, empower and most importantly - entertain.

Videos of interest:

Water Conservation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxFgDbCLhEc&feature=channel

Recycling: http://www.youtube.com/user/PlanetGreenTV#p/c/A49A5CBF8D5360C0/6/3HEf_0s08Zg

3. Howdini: http://www.youtube.com/user/HowdiniGuru

Howdini is the go-to source for how-to videos from the experts you trust. Topics include health, beauty, food, entertaining, pets, travel, sex, green living, and more.

Videos of interest:

Energy Saving Tips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo3Fzm4vRsc&feature=channel

4. Greenoplois TV: http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenopolisTV?feature=chclk

Greenopolis TV is committed to helping users combine online actions with offline activities, creating opportunities to rethink recycling and conservation.

Videos of Interest:

Sun Chip Bag Too Noisy:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenopolisTV?feature=chclk#p/u/9/o0FwybnTQ30

Love Your Reusable Bag: http://www.youtube.com/user/GreenopolisTV?feature=chclk#p/u/11/3LRbBJilO3I

5. Living Green Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/livinggreenchannel

The Living Green Channel is an online video source for living an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Videos of interest:

Green iPhone Application Review:
http://www.youtube.com/user/livinggreenchannel#p/a/u/1/JqU4zqfC9VY

Green Vacationing:
http://www.youtube.com/user/livinggreenchannel#p/u/15/LTREv7WuTWY

Advice for responding to the LEED haters

By Ryan Sparks

If you follow anything in green building, you have heard that Henry Gifford has filed a class action lawsuit against the USGBC and its founders on behalf of "consumers, taxpayers, building design and construction professionals." In reviewing the comments and responses to these postings/articles, it is apparent that there are a significant number angry building professionals that are supporting this legal action.

Now, I am not a lawyer, but as a USGBC supporter, I have the following recommendations for the USGBC to help reduce the number of LEED-haters out there:

1. Don’t charge for promotional materials. $0.75 to obtain a brochure to learn more about more about the core values and purpose of USGBC? And if you are going to charge for a brochure, make the total cost clear and don’t make me wait till I checkout to find the full amount (including shipping and taxes) is $4.98. The fact that the USGBC does not make the brochure easy to find in a downloadable format does not only portray a priority of profit over promotion, it is also not green.

2. Provide a Transparent Financial Information: The About USGBC section of the USGBC provides a link to a 2008 Annual Report, that shows the net assets, end of 2007, but nothing for the following fiscal years.Providing a simple statement of financial activities will go far to reinforce the commitments as a non-profit organization.

3. Acknowledge the lawsuit and reinforce that LEED is consensus driven: Information on the class action lawsuit can be found almost anywhere except on the USGBC website. In fact, as of Oct 26, 2010, the “In the News & Press Releases” section is noticeably empty. Why not post a simple statement that reinforces the fact that the LEED rating systems was created from “consensus-based decision-making from across an extremely diverse membership” and that the USGBC will review the claims in the same manner? There is no doubt that the lawsuit is attracting a lot of traffic to its website, use this as an opportunity to remind the public that LEED is build based on the experience and wisdom of builders and not a single entity.

These are comments from some casual observations. Please share your thoughts.