Earth Advantage, the green building program of Oregon, Northern California, and Boston has launched its latest educational curriculum for builders, designers, architects, consultants, developers, inspectors, and other building industry professionals. The Sustainable Homes Professional (SHP) curriculum is a rigorous six-month certification course that includes monthly classroom instruction, field studies, cross functional team work, an on-site practicum, and a final exam. The six course modules will provide in-depth training on building science fundamentals, residential certification systems, integrated design, energy efficiency, health impacts of construction, materials, and storm water management. The SHP course begins Sept. 26 and 27, 2008 and continues through February 2009. For more information or to register, contact education coordinator Katie Schnepp: kschnepp@earthadvantage.org or 503.968.7160, ext. 18. www.earthadvantage.org.
The International Code Council (ICC) recently created a Sustainable Building Technology Committee (SBTC) to support its ongoing efforts in green, sustainable, and safe construction. The SBTC will provide an open forum for sustainability discussions. Among its many tasks, the SBTC will be charged with developing proposed code changes and analysis/response of related changes that are proposed as well as with providing input on related ICC programs such as green training and a green certification program for code officials. For more information, visit www.iccsafe.org/green.
The U.S. Green Building Council is offering on-demand Webinar training on the LEED for Homes green building rating system. The LEED for Homes Webinar series, comprising three sessions, will teach the nuts and bolts of the rating system: how it supports high-performance green homes, how it recognizes and rewards builders, and how LEED providers are involved in the delivery process. Each Webinar in the series will be registered for one hour of AIA/CES credit per session. Each archived Webinar session costs $39. For more details, visit www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1809.
In July, the California Building Standards Commission voted to adopt the nation’s first statewide green building codes, addressing all new buildings in the state of California. The code includes mandatory features for housing, though with a delayed effective date. The commission is working with state agencies and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive set of mandatory provisions for the 2010 edition of the California Green Building Standards Code. For details, visit www.bsc.ca.gov.
Officially announced in May 2008, the National Association of Home Builders’ National Green Building Standard is still being reviewed by ANSI (American National Standards Institute). The consensus-based standard development process requires the NAHB and International Code Council to address all 3,000 or so of the comments and questions received during the public comment period for the second draft of the National Green Building Standard. “It’s a true consensus process,” says Calli Schmidt, NAHB’s director of environmental communications. “If we ignore comments and questions, that’s not a consensus.” Once the new standard has been approved, the NAHB will release it to the home building industry with much fanfare, so stay tuned.
