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

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.