Michael Received Green Building Professional Certification

04/26/09 - This past week, I have been at Northstar, Lake Tahoe, participating in the Green Building Professional Certification training and testing, and I'm proud to now be a Certified Green Building Professional.

The coursework, presenters, and organization of the event were truly impressive.

Build It Green really is emerging as the ‘point man’ organization in this rapidly growing movement. And with so many laws and codes being changed later this year, what was once a feel-good option is rapidly becoming mandatory. So it’s good to have a bit of a leg-up on the process.

The coursework included historical, theoretical, and practical aspects of Green Building. For example, we learned about types of heat transfer (conductive, convective, and radiant), thermodynamic law, entropy, et al. And of course, much time was devoted to learning about green building techniques and materials in both new construction and remodel applications.

There were over 100 attendees - ranging from Building Contractors like myself, architects, landscape designers, developers, et al.

Some of the topics covered included:
Energy (conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy as it applies to framing, insulation, windows, water heating, appliances, heating/cooling and lighting)
Resource Conservation (jobsite waste/recycling, landscaping, water conservation, efficient framing, durability, and materials choices)
Indoor Air Quality (VOCs, finish materials, ventilation, filtration, mold, and IAQ construction practices)

I look forward to implimenting more of these kinds of practices in our work in addition to the 'Green' orientation we've had from the beginning, 15 years ago. My great thanks to the good folks at Build It Green for an outstanding training event. And although the test was tough, it was well written, and very fair. Having had the choice of taking the training in either Oakland or Tahoe, I think I made the right choice...