June 23, 2010
by Environmental Building Strategies
in LEED
Tags: LEED 2009, LEED credit compliance, LEED EDGE, LEED project management tool
The Beginning Of LEED EDGE
Here at EBS we have experienced first-hand the frustration that goes along with LEED credit compliance. From CIRs to credit appeals to excess paper-pushing, we knew there had to a better way. Enter LEED EGDE! A tool first conceived internally, LEED EDGE has allowed us to provide clients with accurate, real-time answers to their credit compliance questions. As a result, we save our clients money by being twice as efficient as other consultants. In addition, clients now have the added benefit of knowing the exact level of certification their project is on track to achieve at any time!.
Problems With Credit Compliance
During the development of LEED EDGE, we saw three fundamental flaws in the credit compliance process: excess cost, credit confusion, and wasted time. First, we understood that the compliance process was already an expensive one often leading to frustrating cost increases. Second, we saw how projects could shift focus, making LEED compliance difficult to monitor. Third, we knew how difficult it could be for a project to move forward when the status of certain LEED credits was uncertain.
What Does LEED EDGE Do And How Does It Address Those Problems?
LEED EDGE is a project management tool aimed to simplify and streamline the credit compliance process. It centralizes the total anticipated credits a project could achieve in one tab, guiding the user through each credit with point system breakdowns and information boxes, making the entire process less confusing. In addition, the tool’s functionality allows the user to see the project’s over-all LEED status at any time by offering instant feedback with drop-down menus and easy field entry. As a result, EDGE makes the LEED compliance process more cost-effective, efficient, and easier to understand.
How To Try It Out?
If you go to our website, www.TheLEEDEDGE.com, you’ll find more detailed information about product features as well as ways to either demo or buy one of the two modules currently available: LEED O&M 2009 and LEED CI 2009. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@ebsconsultants.net!
Thanks!
-The EBS Team
December 26, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Green Building, LEED
Tags: Add new tag, Green Building; LEED;
This is an excerpt of a recent article written by Jared Friedman for CleanTechies.com, a leading clean technology blog. It features an interview with Matt Macko, an author of the new LEED V3 EBOM exam.
LEEDing the Way: What to Expect On the New LEED 3.0 Exam
By Jared Friedman
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Matt Macko who helped develop the new LEED exam and is a principal at Environmental Building Strategies about his role in the creation of the new exam.
As part of his daily work, Mr. Macko consults with clients who are interested in obtaining LEED certification for their building or who desire to use green building techniques and/or build as sustainably as possible.
Mr. Macko was selected to help develop the new LEED exam for a number of reasons, including his desire to advance the industry and his work in helping his clients understand the most important concepts and options for their projects. His commitment to the industry is obvious; he is a LEED Accredited Professional, RESNET Energy Rater, Certified Energy Plans Examiner, Certified Green Building Professional, Certified Sustainable Building Advisor and Chair of the Bay Area LEED Users Group (BAyLUG).
CleanTechies: What has changed in the new exam?
Matt Macko: The new LEED AP or LEED AP + Specialty is much different than its predecessor. Beginning with the commitment, skill, and diverse knowledge required to pass the exam, followed with the need for project experience, as well as a commitment to 30 hours of Continuing Education, and 4 hour time slot needed to sit for the two-part 200 question exam.
CleanTechies: What about the people who already have LEED AP under the old exam?
Matt Macko: The current green building climate necessitates that there be a distinction between professionals and their certification and accreditation criteria. As a result of these industry changes, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) are representing their stakeholders in the green building community such as architects, engineers, and construction workers, by ensuring the LEED AP is an appropriate representation today’s green building professional. It is important to note that we in the professional “green” world demanded these changes and the responses to Job Task Analysis surveys showed GBCI what was important to its stakeholders. The USGBC and GBCI responded by making the changes listed below:
- If you do nothing and/or don’t wish to be an AP+ Specialty you retain your LEED AP.
- If you sign up for the Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) and follow the Disciplinary policy guidelines, you will become a LEED AP+ specialty, joining the new regime.
- Once you sign up for the CMP, if you took the original AP exam under the New Construction Track you will automatically be “mapped over” to the new LEED AP BD+C (Building Design and Construction) – The same is true for Commercial Interiors; you will be automatically “mapped” over to the LEED AP ID+C (Interior Design and Construction) designation. The same is true for Existing Buildings; you will be automatically “mapped” over and have the LEED AP O+M (Operations & Maintenance) designation.
- All of these changes were to begin August 1, 2009, at which point a LEED AP had two years to switch over. Thereafter, a $50 fee is required to maintain your AP+ Specialty status.
CleanTechies: Why the need for a new exam?
Matt Macko: GBCI has publicly stated that the changes to the exam system reflect the rapid advances in green building technology and practice in the marketplace. Therefore, the new exam system will help ensure that LEED professionals have the latest knowledge and understanding of green building practices AND that their proficiency is recognized.
CleanTechies: What is the style of the new exam?
Matt Macko: The new exam handbook emphasizes three hierarchical cognitive levels of questions. They are Recognition Items, Application Items, and Analysis Items. GBCI defines these levels as:
Recognition Items: These items assess a candidate’s ability to recall factual material that is presented in a similar context to the exam references.
Application Items: These items provide the candidate with a novel problem or scenario that the candidate can solve using familiar principles or procedures described in the exam references.
Analysis Items: These items assess a candidate’s ability to break the problem down into its components to create a solution. The candidate must not only recognize the different elements of the problem, but must also evaluate the relationship or interactions of these elements.
CleanTechies: What type of questions will show up on the new test?
Matt Macko: A test taker should expect questions that will demonstrate knowledge in relation to each of the three hierarchical levels mentioned a moment ago. Analysis items will test the ability of a person to analyze scenarios, breaking down the LEED elements and investigating the possible synergies that exist. This context of question breakdown did not exist in previous Candidate Handbooks.
CleanTechies: There are many new categories of LEED professionals, what material is specific to each credential?
Matt Macko: The AP+ Specialty will be a person who has an advanced depth of knowledge in green building practices and specialization in a particular LEED Rating System such as Building Design and Construction (BD+C) or Operations and Maintenance (O+M). The AP+ Specialty exam and designation is representative of an individual who has passed the exam and possesses the knowledge and skills necessary to participate in the design process, to support and encourage integrated design, and to streamline the application and certification process.
The LEED Green Associate is a person who possesses the knowledge and skill to understand and support green design, construction, and operations. The LEED Green Associate exam is designed to measure your skills and knowledge against criteria developed by Subject Matter Experts and to assess your knowledge and skill to understand and support green design, construction, and operations. This exam is most appropriate for anyone entering the world of green building as well as someone who supports the LEED system.
The LEED AP + Specialty exam is designed to measure and assess the candidate’s skills and knowledge of green building science, the LEED Rating System, and the certification process as set forth in the most recent Job-Task Analysis that was conducted by GBCI during the 3rd quarter of 2008.
CleanTechies: What are some study materials a candidate should use?
Matt Macko: In addition to the stuy materias listed in the candidate handbooks, I would recommend studying sustainability and the principles of green building. Understanding green building holistically will benefit a test taker greatly.
— The EBS Team —
September 17, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Energy, Green Building, LEED, Uncategorized
Tags: Green Retrofit, LEED
In another bold move by the president, he recently uttered the words LEED when referring to a Certification for the White House. Is this even possible? I mean I realize it is, but can we just take a step back for a minute and reflect on where we came from and what was happening in this country two years ago?
The test below is republished from greenerbuildings.com who posted the news on Sept 14th 2009. It’s funny… I didn’t see the Wall Street Journal mention anything about it…
“Going far beyond the organic vegetable garden and playground made from recycled materials, President Barack Obama intends to get the White House LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
That’s the word from an article on Sierra Club’s Green Home website. From the article:
White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) spokesperson, Christine Glunz, says the effort to get the White House to LEED certification includes energy and water systems as well as waste. She believes it is vital to consider toxicity and life-cycle when making purchases for facilities. CEQ is looking to reduce the carbon footprint of the White House by implementing computerized energy management systems, automatic light sensors that turn off in unoccupied rooms and low-flow water valves. Paints and sealers with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), biodegradable cleaners and recycled equipment will all be used by White House groundskeepers and engineers, according to a White House spokesperson. Window films that will lower UV rays and save energy will also be added.
According to an article on the National Geographic website, any leftover materials from White House renovations and demolitions will be donated to local reuse organizations. If President Obama continues to enforce such eco-friendly changes throughout his term, he will be on the right track to making the White House more of a “green house,” proving with a LEED certification that he can lead Americans to a greener world.
We regularly report on the benefits and importance of retrofitting existing buildings as one of the keys to cutting the country’s energy dependence. Even if greening the White House itself would have just a small impact on the nation’s capital, its symbolic importance would be considerably greater.”
The EBS Team
September 2, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in Energy, LEED, Uncategorized
Tags: Green Building, Green Materials
The biggest obstacle in the adoption of green materials is a lack of understanding of how to look at materials. Our old method of “price first, features second, appearance last” is short sighted and explains how we put ourselves in this environmental catastrophe.
The primary thing one must understand about green materials is to realize it is not black and white issue. There is no one perfect green material. All materials have both positive and negative environmental attributes. The key is in understanding which of these will benefit your specific project.
For example, many people will ask me if concrete is a “green” material. They want a simple “yes” or “no” answer. But the real answer is not so black and white.
If we look at the good things about concrete:
* durable, (technically) recyclable, natural, non-offgassing, made from natural sand, stone, and water, and
* we can see it casually appears to be a green material.
But on the other hand, the bad thing about concrete is it’s chief ingredient, Portland Cement. Portland Cement is mined out of the Earth, heated to intense temperatures and as a by-product this releases tons of greenhouse gas. Suddenly, the green concrete you hoped for is a potentially bad source of pollution.
So how do we resolve this? How do you take a complex issue of concrete and look at it in a black-and-white way?
Perhaps you remember a few years ago, when dolphins were getting caught in the tuna fishing nets. There was a large outcry among consumers, “Don’t buy tuna! It is killing the dolphins!” After all, dolphins are cute and deserve to be protected. (The tuna, I guess, were not cute enough for saving.)
With the news of Flipper dying in a tuna net, the public responded and tuna sales plummeted. The industry changed seemingly overnight. What would otherwise be a complicated issue of marine fisheries, agriculture and industry was reduced to the beautifully black and white dictum of “Don’t buy tuna!”
So getting back to our example of concrete. How do we make concrete appear to be a black and white issue?
If the main problem with concrete is its content of Portland Cement, we can replace up to 50% of that Portland Cement with a material called fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product of the coal industry. It is typically buried in a land fill where it seeps mercury into our water table. By putting it into our concrete mix, it turns out the fly ash makes the concrete stronger and more workable.
Is concrete a green material? Fly ash concrete is a green material.
This is how you make something into a black and white issue. This is the process you must go through with every material in your building.
Is wood a green material? FSC-certified Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council is a green material.
Is steel a green material? High recycled content steel is a green material.
Ask yourself these six questions when looking at any material:
1. Where did this material come from?
2. What are the by-products of its’ manufacturer?
3. How is the material delivered and installed?
4. How is the material maintained and operated?
5. How healthy are the materials?
6. What do we do with them once we are done with these materials?
This is a shorthand approach looking at the entire lifecycle of a material.
(For more information on green-materials certification programs, visit Web sites for the Forest Stewardship Council, Green Seal and Scientific Certification Systems.)
—The EBS Team—
August 5, 2009
by Environmental Building Strategies
in LEED, Uncategorized
Tags: Green Building, LEED 2009, USGBC
12. Research the USGBC website – ask around
The USGBC wants you to succeed – they happen to want you to be in compliance too. They are pushing the market in a new direction and by signing up you are agreeing that direction is a good one – you are advocating the same thing. Because they want you to succeed they have tools and resources on their website for you to use. These include a breakdown of all the LEED rating systems, LEED projects that have been successful in the pass, sample presentations on why to build green and green building benefits, and many other useful tools and information on green building.
A new addition to the wealth of assets provided by USGBC is a new LEED online tool. Once a project is registered its status can be followed by all team members using the online template. Consultants, owners, project managers, architects, or any individual involved in the LEED process can see how many credits the project has qualified for and how many more it needs to reach the desired certification level. This great tool solves a previously serious problem, lack of transparency throughout the process and keeps all team members’ expectations firmly rooted in reality. It also helps keep the project on budget and on time.
Research the USGBC website and CIR’s – get involved in your local chapter to find contractors or people who know and understand the system. They may also be able to provide you with contacts to successfully complete the mission.
–The EBS Team–
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