USGBC Approves Green Advantage for Innovation Credit Under LEED v4

Green Advantage Certified Practitioners under the Green Advantage Field Personnel Standard has been approved as a LEED Innovation Credit for eligible projects seeking LEED v4 Certification

Green Advantage, Inc., has been notified by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that the use of Green Advantage Certified Practitioners under the Green Advantage Field Personnel Standard has been approved as a LEED Innovation Credit for eligible projects seeking LEED Certification under the newest version of the rating system, LEED v4. Registration is expected to open later this year.

USGBC approval for projects registered under LEED v4 adds to the previous approval of projects registered under LEED-NCv2.2 and LEED 2009 BD&C. These projects meet the Green Advantage Field Personnel Standard to include this Innovation Credit in the project’s submitted point total. The Green Advantage Field Personnel Standard requires at least 30 percent of select construction personnel to be Green Advantage Certified Practitioners (GACPs) prior to and throughout a project’s construction.

“As a condition of USGBC approval, Green Advantage was required to achieve American National Standards Institute ANSI/ISO/IEC accreditation under 17024:2003 for its Green Advantage Certified Practitioner Certification (GACP),” said Brendan Owens, USGBC’s vice president of LEED Technical Development.

According to Grady O’Rear, President/CEO of Green Advantage, Inc., “the GACP is the only green building personnel certification specifically targeted to supervisory construction personnel that has achieved ANSI/ISO/IEC accreditation under 17024:2003. This designation is considered the “gold standard” for certifications in the industry.”

The ANSI accredited GACP Certification is based upon a national standard developed by Green Advantage with inputs from scores of experts from across the country representing academic research and policy setting organizations, national and regional green building rating system certifying bodies, workforce development groups, construction professionals, and other experts. It is designed to enhance the knowledge, skills and abilities of commercial and residential construction field personnel. The information it contains is:

  • Applicable across building trades.
  • Compatible with multiple green building rating systems e.g. ASHRAE 189.1, ICC700,IgCC, Green Globes, and LEED.
  • Means/methods-focused, with over 600 green building best practices
  • Evidence-based and rigorously sourced.
  • Results-oriented,promoting achievement of:
    • Environmental goals
    • Health and productivity goals
    • Team collaboration and efficiency
    • Problem-spotting in the field, Implementation of construction best practices
    • Cost saving goals and reduced callbacks
    • Reduction of building operational cost

Available nationwide, Green Advantage Exams are administered nationwide at testing centers or on location in group settings. Although not required, training in preparation for the Green Advantage Exams is recommended.

Companies in this article
Latest