Green Construction - Earning a Repuatation for Building Green

The market makes many demands of the construction industry. We are judged not only by the price and quality of our services, but by social and environmental factors as well. Construction and design firms in California are at the center of the drive to think, design, and build in a way that is environmentally responsible. It is increasingly important to our customers that we are "green." Firms that can legitimately make this claim will undoubtedly gain more market share, strengthen their reputation, and gain the loyalty of their consumer base.

But what does this really mean, to be "green?" What are the measurable factors we can point to in order to establish in a truly legitimate way that we are one of the companies that is responding to this call to design and build in an eco-friendly way? What are the specific things that we can do to establish a real reputation for being a "green" company?

Any company wanting to gain a reputation for "Green" building will want to become aware of the following two organizations: The U.S. Green Building Council, and The Green Building Certification Institute.

Many of us already have various levels of awareness about these organizations, and some of us are members of USGBC. (California has over 5000 members, comprised of architects, contractors, and manufacturers.) For those of us who don't really know about these two organizations and what they do, here are the basics:

The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit organization based in Washington, DC that provides education to individuals in the construction industry. In addition to providing education, the U.S. Green Building Council has created a comprehensive program for rating the design, construction, and operation of green buildings.

The Green Building Certification Institute is an organization that administers project certification for commercial and institutional buildings and tenant spaces under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating Systems™ addressing new construction and ongoing operations. The Green Building Certification Institute also administers the exams required for an individual to receive various levels of LEED® certification. (The study materials for the exams are available through various third party providers which have been pre-approved by GBCI.)

The websites for these two organizations are here:

USGBC
GBCI

Anyone in the construction industry can easily become a member of USGBC. There is an annual fee, based on your company's revenue. This entitles you to claim that you are a member, and gives you the option to display their logo on your website and in your publications. They also offer discounts on various products and services for their members. Of course, simply becoming a member does not require or indicate any action beyond membership.

If one wants to make a serious effort towards education, GBCI offers courses and accreditations. Individuals recognized for their knowledge of the LEED rating system are permitted to use the LEED Accredited Professional (AP) acronym after their name, indicating they have passed the accreditation exam given by the USGBC. Many professionals in our field have this certification.

Lastly, you may submit your project to the certification process that the GBCI oversees. This requires that the project be designed and built within the guidelines established by USGBC, and judged by GBCI. While the standards are complex and require a great deal of investigation and education, the general process is fairly simple.

The rating system and details are on the USGBC website, but I have included a link to a PDF file here:

LEED Green Building Rating System (PDF)

Once you have familiarized yourself with the rating system and guidelines provided by USGBC, you can then register your project with GBCI. The GBCI will then rate the project based on the parameters outlined in the rating system. Once the project has been officially deemed LEED certified, you are entitled to the following:

• A formal certificate of recognition
• Information on how to order plaque and certificates, photo submissions, and marketing
• Inclusion in an online directory of registered and certified projects
• Inclusion in the US Department of Energy High Performance Buildings Database

What this means is that by perusing and completing the education and/or certification provided by The Green Building Certification Institute, you can claim in a clear and thoroughly substantiated way that you are an active participant in the push to create environmentally sound, sustainable, and energy efficient structures. You can call attention to your accreditation and certification in all of your marketing efforts, and represent yourself as an active and cognizant participant in the green building movement.

We certainly welcome your feedback on the topics discussed above, and we especially welcome any additional insights, tips, or information from anybody that has additional first hand experience navigating the waters of this newly emerging field. It is our hope that we can expand and share our knowledge of topics such as these by sharing our experience with each other. Please feel free to forward this article to anyone who may find the information interesting or useful.

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Mike Pearson Construction, Inc.