The Green Building Initiative™ (GBI) announced that between Feb. 13 and April 15 it will provide free access to its online certification course for Green Globes Professionals™ (GGPs). GGPs help guide building projects in achieving Green Globes® ratings, awarded for environmentally-focused design and construction.
"We're seeing an upsurge in demand for Green Globes certification this year, both for building renovations and new construction," said Jerry Yudelson, GBI's new president. "By making the training free for a limited period of time we want to ensure, as demand for Green Globes continues to grow, that we have plenty of trained Green Globes Professionals to help make the projects happen."
By taking and passing an exam at the end of the online training course, architects can earn five learning hours from the American Institute of Architects, in the category of Health, Safety and Welfare.
Building owners, managers and designers use the Green Globes program to guide and assess building projects in seven standard categories: energy, water, materials and resources, emissions, indoor environment, site and project management. Certified projects earn from one to four Green Globes.
GBI recommends that a certified GGP work with clients to provide guidance on using the Green Globes system. Some GGPs are facilities managers from large organizations, such as universities, nonprofits or government agencies, while others are builders, architects, engineers or consultants in private practice. Only those individuals with five or more years' industry experience are qualified to be certified as GGPs but others may audit the course.
"This isn't some tool you just use once and put away," said Yudelson. "It's a way of thinking; it strengthens a person's career, even as it improves building design, construction and operation."
Usually costing $750, the GGP course takes about five hours to complete and may be accessed on the GBI website any time. To access the free training, people should go to the website and enter the appropriate code.
Course Information
Course Title: Green Globes Professional Training
Length: Approximately 5 hours (self-paced)
Dates: Online On-Demand
# of Learning Units: 5 LU/HSW
Provider: Green Building Initiative
Description
This course is intended for experienced building industry professionals who wish to become expert users of the Green Globes sustainable building rating system. Upon completion of the training program, qualified candidates may be certified as Green Globes Professionals by achieving a passing score on the certification exam.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the mission of the Green Building Initiative and how Green Globes plays an integral part in fulfilling that mission. Describe the Green Globes Continuum. Identify the Green Globes modules. List and explain the benefits of using Green Globes.
- Recall the Green Globes environmental assessment areas and describe the organization of criteria. Identify features that make the Green Globes assessment and certification system unique. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the various individuals involved in the Green Globes assessment process, including GBI staff, Green Globes Professionals, and Green Globes Assessors.
- Describe the eligibility requirements for Green Globes New Construction certification. Recall the major steps of the Green Globes NC assessment and certification process. Explain the difference between the New Construction Stage I and Stage II assessments.
- Recall the major steps of the Green Globes CIEB assessment and certification process. Identify the differences between the NC and CIEB assessment processes. Describe specific adaptations made to CIEB for healthcare users. Describe the differences between CIEB and CIEB Healthcare point allocation. Identify potential differences between the CIEB and CIEB Healthcare assessment processes.
About the Green Building Initiative™
The GBI is a nonprofit organization and ANSI Standards Developer dedicated to accelerating the adoption of building practices that result in energy-efficient, healthier and environmentally sustainable buildings by promoting credible and practical green building approaches. Founded in 2004, the organization is the U.S. provider of the Green Globes® and federal Guiding Principles Compliance building certification programs. For more information, visit www.thegbi.org.
