New LEED Credential Expands to Canada

Dees Stribling, Contributing Editor

Washington, D.C.-The Green Building Certification Institute, which provides third-party confirmation of LEED building certification and LEED professional credentialing, has launched the LEED Green Associate (Tier I) credential in Canada. According to the Green Building Certification Institute, the new credential–launched only in 2009–is its fastest growing, having been earned by about 4,500 people worldwide already.

LEED Green Associate concerns the fundamentals of sustainable building practices, including environmental design, tax incentives for green building, and energy. To be certified as a LEED Green Associate, candidates must pass a 100-question multiple-choice exam in two hours.

The newer credential contrasts with the more extensive LEED Accredited Professional (Tier II) credential, which not only covers the basics of sustainable building, but also focuses on a particular area of the green building rating system, such as operations and maintenance, homes, building design and construction or interior design and construction (and neighborhood development, which will be offered starting later this year).

According to Peter Templeton, president of the GBCI, “the green building world is expanding. Key players include not only those in the building industry but also sales and marketing professionals, lawyers, real estate brokers, product manufacturers and suppliers, students and others.” It’s for these kinds of professionals that the new credential was created.

In its effort to expand the credential into Canada, the GBCI is collaborating with the Canada Green Building Council. Currently there are about 10,000 professionals who hold LEED credentials in Canada.