After grueling hours of studying a 235 page book on Leed and 700 practice test questions and passed the proctured test, I finally got my Certificate and rights to the GBCI Green Associates Logo.
Man was this test hard to take. 
“LEED Green Associate” and the LEED Green Associate logo are trademarks owned by the U.S. Green
Building Council and are awarded to individuals under license by the Green Building Certification
Institute.
Congrats Marcel, hope it brings ya lots of money.
Hope so too, Larry and thanks. I won’t hold my breath though.
Congrats Marcel! Good job.
Thanks Gary, and now I have to maintain 15 hours of CE’s of approved LEED material every two years. Add the NACHI 25 and I’ll need a weeks vacation just to do CE’s. :mrgreen:
Congrats, Marcel!!
This is my next step…
Great job!
Kevin
Thanks Kevin, and now I need to take the Nachi Green program again and get the Green Certified Logo. Good course by Inachi. 
Congratulations Marcel, boy you must be reeeeaaaalllly slow at your day job!!
Way to go, Marcel!
Awesome, Marcel. Congratulations!!!
A very interesting statement from a very interesting gentleman when he was interviewed by CBC radio when in town at an energy conference (ENERhouse) running here since 1984:
“LEED doesn’t work!!!”
That was from Joe Lstiburek, principal at Building Science Corporation.
Brian, I respect the views of Dr. Lstibured, but I disagree.
LEED Does Work.
I built one, and with the collaborated eforts of a Charette, AP, time, money, and cooperation of all the parties, it can make for an envioronmently friendly building that saves energy cost in it’s life cycle.
From USGBC:
The LEED green building certification program encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.
Third-party certification through the independent Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI.org) assures that LEED buildings are constructed as intended. GBCI includes a network of ISO-compliant international certifying bodies, ensuring the consistency, capacity and integrity of the LEED certification process.
An organization’s participation in the voluntary and technically rigorous LEED process demonstrates leadership, innovation and environmental stewardship.
Sustainable Sites
Choosing a building’s site and managing that site during construction are important considerations for a project’s sustainability. The Sustainable Sites category discourages development on previously undeveloped land; minimizes a building’s impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourages regionally appropriate landscaping; rewards smart transportation choices; controls stormwater runoff; and reduces erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution.
Water Efficiency
Buildings are major users of our potable water supply. The goal of the Water Efficiency credit category is to encourage smarter use of water, inside and out. Water reduction is typically achieved through more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings inside and water-wise landscaping outside.
Energy & Atmosphere
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings use 39% of the energy and 74% of the electricity produced each year in the United States. The Energy & Atmosphere category encourages a wide variety of energy strategies: commissioning; energy use monitoring; efficient design and construction; efficient appliances, systems and lighting; the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, generated on-site or off-site; and other innovative strategies.
Materials & Resources
During both the construction and operations phases, buildings generate a lot of waste and use a lot of materials and resources. This credit category encourages the selection of sustainably grown, harvested, produced and transported products and materials. It promotes the reduction of waste as well as reuse and recycling, and it takes into account the reduction of waste at a product’s source.
Indoor Environmental Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans spend about 90% of their day indoors, where the air quality can be significantly worse than outside. The Indoor Environmental Quality credit category promotes strategies that can improve indoor air as well as providing access to natural daylight and views and improving acoustics.
Locations & Linkages
The LEED for Homes rating system recognizes that much of a home’s impact on the environment comes from where it is located and how it fits into its community. The Locations & Linkages credits encourage homes being built away from environmentally sensitive places and instead being built in infill, previously developed and other preferable sites. It rewards homes that are built near already-existing infrastructure, community resources and transit, and it encourages access to open space for walking, physical activity and time spent outdoors.
Awareness & Education
The LEED for Homes rating system acknowledges that a green home is only truly green if the people who live in it use the green features to maximum effect. The Awareness & Education credits encourage home builders and real estate professionals to provide homeowners, tenants and building managers with the education and tools they need to understand what makes their home green and how to make the most of those features.
Innovation in Design
The Innovation in Design credit category provides bonus points for projects that use new and innovative technologies and strategies to improve a building’s performance well beyond what is required by other LEED credits or in green building considerations that are not specifically addressed elsewhere in LEED. This credit category also rewards projects for including a LEED Accredited Professional on the team to ensure a holistic, integrated approach to the design and construction phase.
Regional Priority
USGBC’s regional councils, chapters and affiliates have identified the environmental concerns that are locally most important for every region of the country, and six LEED credits that address those local priorities were selected for each region. A project that earns a regional priority credit will earn one bonus point in addition to any points awarded for that credit. Up to four extra points can be earned in this way.
Sustainable Sites
Choosing a building’s site and managing that site during construction are important considerations for a project’s sustainability. The Sustainable Sites category discourages development on previously undeveloped land; minimizes a building’s impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourages regionally appropriate landscaping; rewards smart transportation choices; controls stormwater runoff; and reduces erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution.
Water Efficiency
Buildings are major users of our potable water supply. The goal of the Water Efficiency credit category is to encourage smarter use of water, inside and out. Water reduction is typically achieved through more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings inside and water-wise landscaping outside.
Energy & Atmosphere
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings use 39% of the energy and 74% of the electricity produced each year in the United States. The Energy & Atmosphere category encourages a wide variety of energy strategies: commissioning; energy use monitoring; efficient design and construction; efficient appliances, systems and lighting; the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, generated on-site or off-site; and other innovative strategies.
Materials & Resources
During both the construction and operations phases, buildings generate a lot of waste and use a lot of materials and resources. This credit category encourages the selection of sustainably grown, harvested, produced and transported products and materials. It promotes the reduction of waste as well as reuse and recycling, and it takes into account the reduction of waste at a product’s source.
Indoor Environmental Quality
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans spend about 90% of their day indoors, where the air quality can be significantly worse than outside. The Indoor Environmental Quality credit category promotes strategies that can improve indoor air as well as providing access to natural daylight and views and improving acoustics.
Locations & Linkages
The LEED for Homes rating system recognizes that much of a home’s impact on the environment comes from where it is located and how it fits into its community. The Locations & Linkages credits encourage homes being built away from environmentally sensitive places and instead being built in infill, previously developed and other preferable sites. It rewards homes that are built near already-existing infrastructure, community resources and transit, and it encourages access to open space for walking, physical activity and time spent outdoors.
Awareness & Education
The LEED for Homes rating system acknowledges that a green home is only truly green if the people who live in it use the green features to maximum effect. The Awareness & Education credits encourage home builders and real estate professionals to provide homeowners, tenants and building managers with the education and tools they need to understand what makes their home green and how to make the most of those features.
Innovation in Design
The Innovation in Design credit category provides bonus points for projects that use new and innovative technologies and strategies to improve a building’s performance well beyond what is required by other LEED credits or in green building considerations that are not specifically addressed elsewhere in LEED. This credit category also rewards projects for including a LEED Accredited Professional on the team to ensure a holistic, integrated approach to the design and construction phase.
Regional Priority
USGBC’s regional councils, chapters and affiliates have identified the environmental concerns that are locally most important for every region of the country, and six LEED credits that address those local priorities were selected for each region. A project that earns a regional priority credit will earn one bonus point in addition to any points awarded for that credit. Up to four extra points can be earned in this way.
Apparently he’s been called in to buildings that are LEED designed that are not working. He claims they should only be given the LEED designation after they have proven themselves for a few years by their operational costs and durability.
Quite a comment considering he has been the field leader for years.
Congrats Marcel! I got my LEED A.P. designation March of last year. Are you going for a specialty? I got the BD+C recently. Good luck to you.
Bert
Humberto, how difficult was the AP? I was thinking of going in the LEED Homes.
It’s interesting in this critical article (a bit dated) that they praise the Building America program (in which Joe Lstiburek and his company have been a big mover) while questioning LEED.
http://www.finehomebuilding.com/item/5872/is-the-leed-program-a-fraud
http://dcnonl.com/article/id39240
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/leed-seeks-to-beef-up-its-credentials/
http://www.ethicalshopping.com/home-garden/building-design/leed-certification-perfect-greenwash.html
Some of those articles are wrong and show erroneous statements.
Those are all critics that don’t have a clue about what building is or what the difference is between low bid and integrated team design.
Green Buildings can work if people set their mind on making it work and not set across the street and say it does.
To be involved in a Green Project and one that is not is the only way to see the difference first hand.
It is all about saving energy, and if I buy all materials that have recycled content, use low flow fixtures, provide native plants and minimize hardscapes and reduce heat island effects, buy products locally, use material within a 500 mile radius.
So I am lowering the emmisions that contribute to Global Warming and saving energy.
There is a lot more to it than what I just discribed. And it works, cause we made it work.
Life cycle cost have been reduced. A life cycle cost anyalisis was performed.
I am not here to defend GBCI, I am defending, the difference between day and night difference between a green project and a regular one.
Marcel, it was very difficult. Like reading and memorizing a phone book!..LOL. I do find that I need to continue attending local events and gatherings sponsored by my local branch to keep up with the latest. If I don’t, I fear I will soon forget. Like they say…“Use it or lose it”. At least in my case that is.
Bert
Marcel, it’s amazing the difference just retrofitting light fixtures inside some of the public schools down here has made. Energy consumption decreased by replacing the old t-12 lamps and ballasts which were replaced by t-8 lamps and electronic ballasts. Maintenance costs are expected to go south also due to the extended life cycle of the newer equipment. It most certainly makes a difference which is tangible.
Bert
All part of Whole Building Design Bert.
Green buildings are specifically designed structures that reduce the overall negative impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment.
-efficiently using energy, water, land, and materials
-protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
-reducing waste and pollution from each green building.