The University’s Engineers for Sustainable Development (ESD) student group, led by President Taylor Schumann ’16, has planned an opportunity for students interested in sustainability and environmental design.

On Oct. 9 from 6-10 p.m., interested students attended the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Green Associate event. Students who take this course will graduate with Green Associate (GA) added to their degree, signifying consciousness and appreciation of the importance of environmentally-sound construction. The LEED Green Associate credential will demonstrate to employers and clients a student’s certified knowledge in the green building industry. Taking this course and attaining this credential can help students who are interested in working in sustainable construction.

“Achieving credentials like the LEED GA and Envision PV are a great way to incorporate sustainability concepts into your way of thinking and to differentiate yourself as you enter the job market,” said Kevin Gilmore, the faculty advisor of the Engineers for Sustainable Development student group.

Gilmore says that students do not need to have prior experience to get involved.

“I would say it is always helpful but not necessary. If students are conversant in general terms related to water, energy, and the environment, they should have the necessary foundation for pursuing these types of credentials,” Gilmore said.  

LEED is a green-rating point system that assesses the sustainability of designed and constructed buildings. This rating system works to transform the way society thinks about how buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated across the globe.

The LEED Green Associate Training offered by the LeadingGREEN program has proven to be successful in helping over 1,500 students pass their exams at a 100 percent pass rate for $200 and five hours of training. LeadingGREEN courses provide four mock exams while other training providers only give two. LeadingGREEN assures that their courses are taught by LEED AP+ Instructors, have unique online realistic mock exams, give class recordings, distribute letters of attestation for LEED project experience, and provide study materials.

In the field of sustainable design, opportunities for research and work are flourishing, and LEED is in the lead. A new LEED rating system was introduced last month and this training course is one of the few that has been updated to teach the current rating system. This course is short, cheap, current, and most importantly, effective.

“It’s great to see ESD’s leaders showing the initiative to bring this opportunity to campus for two years now, and I’m glad to see students taking advantage of it. This first LEED credential is a gateway which I hope will eventually introduce them to even broader sustainability concepts, which include not only the environment but also social and economic sustainability,” Gilmore said.