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LEEDuser expert
Russell Unger
Urban Green Council
Executive Director
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
To meet the requirements of this pilot credit, project teams must use a qualifying training program. To qualify a training program, complete the application here. Qualifying programs and program requirements are listed below:
Qualifying programs
| Program | Organization | Website |
|---|---|---|
| GPRO | Urban Green Council | www.gpro.org |
| Green Janitor Health Education Program | Building Skills Partnership | www.buildingskills.org/programs/greenjanitor |
| Curso LEED® para contratistas | Revitaliza Consultores | http://www.revitalizaconsultores.com/cursos/curso-leed-para-contratistas |
| Building in Nature's Image, Inc. | Contractor & Trades Training for the Doers | https://www.ngbc.us/ |
| Green Building Training for Cleaners | 32BJ Training Fund | training.32bjfunds.org |
Green Building Training Program
Green Building Training Program must meet the following requirements:- The program is developed and maintained by a not-for-profit organization with significant expertise and at least 5 years of experience in green building education, with input from a range of building professionals, including trades, contractors, operators, and designers.
- The program complies with the following criteria:
- Subject matter meets the purpose and scope of this credit and includes at least four hours of instruction on the basics of sustainability, green building, LEED, green job sites, and the role of the relevant building systems and building professional within the “whole building” framework of sustainability
- For contractors, subcontractors and trades, the curricula includes a minimum of six additional hours of instruction including: differences between green and conventional materials, installation, and work practices, documentation issues that are unique to LEED; opportunities for improved building performance through the retrofitting of existing buildings; new green technologies; and the role that commissioning plays in green building.
- For building operators, the curricula includes a minimum of 8 additional hours of instruction in introductory sustainable operations including: measuring building performance, increasing efficiency in the building envelope, plumbing, heating & cooling and lighting systems, improving indoor air quality, reducing building waste, implementing green cleaning and understanding, commissioning & energy audits.
- For building maintenance service personnel, the curricula includes a minimum of 3 additional hours of instruction including: how to improve building efficiency through improved work practices & reporting; improving indoor air quality, reducing building waste & green cleaning practices.
- The targeted audience is a contractor, subcontractor, trade, or building operations and service professional that is listed in this document.
- The courses are taught by instructors who are qualified as subject matter experts.
- Materials must be objective in nature and cannot contain any content that could be interpreted as a promotion or endorsement of a certain product, service, certification/accreditation or organization. As an exception to this rule, products or organizations can be presented in the context of illustrative examples of the current concerns, issues and regulations of the topic(s) being addressed. Qualified training programs may include their company name or logo only on the first and/or last slide of any presentations.
- The program provides the following: Complete the application here.
- Letter of support from a local USGBC chapter attesting to the quality of the green building content.
- Letter of support from at least two USGBC member organizations, gold level or above, who have used the training program and can attest to its quality relative to other trainings the organization has used
- Evaluation report showing feedback from at least 250 students taught within the last 12 months
- List of contributors to the curriculum, including their profession, industry and affiliations
- Subject matter meets the purpose and scope of this credit and includes at least four hours of instruction on the basics of sustainability, green building, LEED, green job sites, and the role of the relevant building systems and building professional within the “whole building” framework of sustainability
Employ contractors, subcontractors, & building trades who are certificate holders under a qualified green building training program prior to the commencement of the work of the individual’s trade on the project. The minimum percentage of certificate holders is as follows:
- Option 1: 30% Contractor. At least 30% of contractor and subcontractor management personnel working on the project are certificate holders.
- Option 2: 15% Contractors & 15% Trades. At least 15% of contractor and subcontractor management personnel and 15% of tradespeople working on the project are certificate holders.
Qualifying Contractors, Subcontractors, and Building Trades
Only personnel working the following minimum number of workdays on the project are qualifying contractor, subcontractor, or building trades who may count towards achievement of this credit:- For projects under 50,000 square feet, worked a minimum of 1 work day on the project per week
- For projects 50,000 square feet or over, worked a minimum of 5 work days per week
- Contractor
- Construction Manager, including Project Executive
- Project Manager
- Project Engineer
- Quality Control Manager
- Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing (MEP) Coordinator
- Superintendent
- Assistant Superintendent
- General Foreperson
- Estimator
- Project Manager
- Superintendent
- Project Engineer
- Quality Control Manager
- Trade Foreperson
- Estimator
- Bricklayers (includes tile marble and terrazzo)
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Electrical Workers
- Elevator Constructors
- Heat and Frost Insulators
- Iron Workers (includes structural, ornamental, derrick and riggers, metal lathers)
- Laborers (includes helpers, mason tenders, building and excavation, asbestos and lead abatement, concrete)
- Operating Engineers
- Plasterers and Cement Masons
- Plumbers and Steamfitters
- Painters and Allied Trades (includes glaziers, drywall tapers, paper hangers and decorators, bridge and steel painters)
- Roofers and Waterproofers
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Teamsters
- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
- Identify the Green Building Training Program(s) OR apply to qualify Green Building Training Program(s) here (please review qualifying training program requirements above before applying).
- Identify whether the project is under 50,000 square feet or 50,000 feet and larger, demonstrated by construction drawings, tax records, deed or government-issued documentation.
- Provide verification of any claimed training through copies of certificates or wallet cards or a report from the training body. *Note: Training for mechanical trades, electricians and plumbers must include a trade-specific certificate.
- Complete the template below. Identify all qualifying contractor and subcontractor personnel. Indicate which of those personnel are also certificate holders and identify their certificate(s). The titles of the contractor and subcontractor personnel listed in the template should correspond with those identified in the list of qualifying contractor and subcontractor personnel in the credit.
- Provide notarized payroll reports as follows, demonstrating the names and total number of qualifying contractor and subcontractor personnel:
- A report that identifies all qualifying contractor personnel provided by the general contractor or an accountant representing the general contractor.
- A report that identifies all qualifying subcontractor personnel provided by each subcontractor or an accountant representing the subcontractor.
- Complete the template below. Identify all qualifying building trades. Indicate which of those trade personnel are also certificate holders and identify their certificate(s). The titles of “Building Trades” listed in the template (for example, “Plumber” or “Electrician”) should correspond with those identified in the list of Building Trades Personnel in the credit.
- Provide a notarized payroll report from each subcontractor or an accountant representing the subcontractor that identifies the number and names of all qualifying Building Trades.
- What other quality programs are not on the list that you would recommend adding?
- Which option did you choose and why?
- About how many different contractor organization did you work with on the project?
- 4/18/23 - Moved Qualifying Program information from Resources to credit language and updated Documentation Requirements
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot creditCredit specific
To apply for 30% Contractor (Option 1):
To apply for 15% Contractors & 15% Trades (Option 2):
Additional questions
Changes
What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
To meet the requirements of this pilot credit, project teams must use a qualifying training program. To qualify a training program, complete the application here. Qualifying programs and program requirements are listed below:
Qualifying programs
| Program | Organization | Website |
|---|---|---|
| GPRO | Urban Green Council | www.gpro.org |
| Green Janitor Health Education Program | Building Skills Partnership | www.buildingskills.org/programs/greenjanitor |
| Curso LEED® para contratistas | Revitaliza Consultores | http://www.revitalizaconsultores.com/cursos/curso-leed-para-contratistas |
| Building in Nature's Image, Inc. | Contractor & Trades Training for the Doers | https://www.ngbc.us/ |
| Green Building Training for Cleaners | 32BJ Training Fund | training.32bjfunds.org |
Green Building Training Program
Green Building Training Program must meet the following requirements:- The program is developed and maintained by a not-for-profit organization with significant expertise and at least 5 years of experience in green building education, with input from a range of building professionals, including trades, contractors, operators, and designers.
- The program complies with the following criteria:
- Subject matter meets the purpose and scope of this credit and includes at least four hours of instruction on the basics of sustainability, green building, LEED, green job sites, and the role of the relevant building systems and building professional within the “whole building” framework of sustainability
- For contractors, subcontractors and trades, the curricula includes a minimum of six additional hours of instruction including: differences between green and conventional materials, installation, and work practices, documentation issues that are unique to LEED; opportunities for improved building performance through the retrofitting of existing buildings; new green technologies; and the role that commissioning plays in green building.
- For building operators, the curricula includes a minimum of 8 additional hours of instruction in introductory sustainable operations including: measuring building performance, increasing efficiency in the building envelope, plumbing, heating & cooling and lighting systems, improving indoor air quality, reducing building waste, implementing green cleaning and understanding, commissioning & energy audits.
- For building maintenance service personnel, the curricula includes a minimum of 3 additional hours of instruction including: how to improve building efficiency through improved work practices & reporting; improving indoor air quality, reducing building waste & green cleaning practices.
- The targeted audience is a contractor, subcontractor, trade, or building operations and service professional that is listed in this document.
- The courses are taught by instructors who are qualified as subject matter experts.
- Materials must be objective in nature and cannot contain any content that could be interpreted as a promotion or endorsement of a certain product, service, certification/accreditation or organization. As an exception to this rule, products or organizations can be presented in the context of illustrative examples of the current concerns, issues and regulations of the topic(s) being addressed. Qualified training programs may include their company name or logo only on the first and/or last slide of any presentations.
- The program provides the following: Complete the application here.
- Letter of support from a local USGBC chapter attesting to the quality of the green building content.
- Letter of support from at least two USGBC member organizations, gold level or above, who have used the training program and can attest to its quality relative to other trainings the organization has used
- Evaluation report showing feedback from at least 250 students taught within the last 12 months
- List of contributors to the curriculum, including their profession, industry and affiliations
- Subject matter meets the purpose and scope of this credit and includes at least four hours of instruction on the basics of sustainability, green building, LEED, green job sites, and the role of the relevant building systems and building professional within the “whole building” framework of sustainability
Employ contractors, subcontractors, & building trades who are certificate holders under a qualified green building training program prior to the commencement of the work of the individual’s trade on the project. The minimum percentage of certificate holders is as follows:
- Option 1: 30% Contractor. At least 30% of contractor and subcontractor management personnel working on the project are certificate holders.
- Option 2: 15% Contractors & 15% Trades. At least 15% of contractor and subcontractor management personnel and 15% of tradespeople working on the project are certificate holders.
Qualifying Contractors, Subcontractors, and Building Trades
Only personnel working the following minimum number of workdays on the project are qualifying contractor, subcontractor, or building trades who may count towards achievement of this credit:- For projects under 50,000 square feet, worked a minimum of 1 work day on the project per week
- For projects 50,000 square feet or over, worked a minimum of 5 work days per week
- Contractor
- Construction Manager, including Project Executive
- Project Manager
- Project Engineer
- Quality Control Manager
- Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing (MEP) Coordinator
- Superintendent
- Assistant Superintendent
- General Foreperson
- Estimator
- Project Manager
- Superintendent
- Project Engineer
- Quality Control Manager
- Trade Foreperson
- Estimator
- Bricklayers (includes tile marble and terrazzo)
- Boilermakers
- Carpenters
- Electrical Workers
- Elevator Constructors
- Heat and Frost Insulators
- Iron Workers (includes structural, ornamental, derrick and riggers, metal lathers)
- Laborers (includes helpers, mason tenders, building and excavation, asbestos and lead abatement, concrete)
- Operating Engineers
- Plasterers and Cement Masons
- Plumbers and Steamfitters
- Painters and Allied Trades (includes glaziers, drywall tapers, paper hangers and decorators, bridge and steel painters)
- Roofers and Waterproofers
- Sheet Metal Workers
- Teamsters
- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
- Identify the Green Building Training Program(s) OR apply to qualify Green Building Training Program(s) here (please review qualifying training program requirements above before applying).
- Identify whether the project is under 50,000 square feet or 50,000 feet and larger, demonstrated by construction drawings, tax records, deed or government-issued documentation.
- Provide verification of any claimed training through copies of certificates or wallet cards or a report from the training body. *Note: Training for mechanical trades, electricians and plumbers must include a trade-specific certificate.
- Complete the template below. Identify all qualifying contractor and subcontractor personnel. Indicate which of those personnel are also certificate holders and identify their certificate(s). The titles of the contractor and subcontractor personnel listed in the template should correspond with those identified in the list of qualifying contractor and subcontractor personnel in the credit.
- Provide notarized payroll reports as follows, demonstrating the names and total number of qualifying contractor and subcontractor personnel:
- A report that identifies all qualifying contractor personnel provided by the general contractor or an accountant representing the general contractor.
- A report that identifies all qualifying subcontractor personnel provided by each subcontractor or an accountant representing the subcontractor.
- Complete the template below. Identify all qualifying building trades. Indicate which of those trade personnel are also certificate holders and identify their certificate(s). The titles of “Building Trades” listed in the template (for example, “Plumber” or “Electrician”) should correspond with those identified in the list of Building Trades Personnel in the credit.
- Provide a notarized payroll report from each subcontractor or an accountant representing the subcontractor that identifies the number and names of all qualifying Building Trades.
- What other quality programs are not on the list that you would recommend adding?
- Which option did you choose and why?
- About how many different contractor organization did you work with on the project?
- 4/18/23 - Moved Qualifying Program information from Resources to credit language and updated Documentation Requirements
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot creditCredit specific
To apply for 30% Contractor (Option 1):
To apply for 15% Contractors & 15% Trades (Option 2):
Additional questions
Changes
LEEDuser expert
Russell Unger
Urban Green Council
Executive Director
