LEEDing the Way to a Green Collar Job, Vol. III (the exam)

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Friday January 09, 2009 · 10:36 AM PST

2009/01/09 · 10:36

In Vol. I on the subject I described the US Green Building Council’s LEED AP (Accredited Professional) certification program, and my plan to become LEED AP certified to strengthen my sustainability credentials and to help guide the renovation of my historic opera house to LEED Gold status. Well, I just took the LEED AP exam....and passed!

More on the exam, some resources to help you prepare and planned program changes in 2009 below.

Doolittle Sothere

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Thursday December 11, 2008 · 3:13 PM PST

2008/12/11 · 15:13

Despite an economy in a deepening recession, plummeting housing values, tight credit and rising foreclosure rates and unemployment, the country may be on the cusp of a new housing mini-boom – or rather, a ‘mini-housing’ boom. Of course we first need to stabilize the economy and create millions of new jobs rebuilding our nation’s energy and public transportation infrastructure, but that’s an issue for another discussion.

State of US Housing Stock
Consumers, when they are once again able to afford a new home, are likely to embrace a new generation of homes that are smaller, sustainable, modular and less costly to own and maintain. Researchers at MIT’s Department of Architecture House_n project foresee the next generation of homes as "a center for proactive healthcare, distributed energy production, commerce and learning."

Join me after the jump for the state of the industry and some truly innovative eco-home designs....

Poll

68 votes Show Results

If you could buy a new eco-home, how big would it be?

68 votes Vote Now!

If you could buy a new eco-home, how big would it be?

Tiny - up to 500 sq. ft.

3 votes

Small - 600-1,000 sq. ft

10 votes

Modest - 1,000 - 1,400 sq. ft.

17 votes

Medium - 1,400 - 2,000 sq. ft.

24 votes

Large - 2,000 - 3,000 sq. ft.

6 votes

McMansion - more than 3,000 sq. ft.

8 votes

LEEDing the Way, Vol. II (Location, Location, Location)

Doolittle Sothere

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Sunday November 30, 2008 · 8:36 PM PST

2008/11/30 · 20:36

In my first post of this series I described the US Green Building Council’s LEED(Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™, and how individuals looking for a clean tech career should consider becoming a LEED AP (Accredited Professional) certification to broaden – and document, their understanding of sustainability issues, and to stand out among otherwise equally-qualified candidates.

LEED provides sustainable design guidelines and a point-based rating system for various compliance levels including Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. With demand soaring for LEED-based solutions, a growing market opportunity clearly exists for individuals who can help design, build, commission and operate resource-efficient facilities and communities. Only you can determine if LEED AP certification is in your best interest or relevant for a clean tech career. But I can attest to thinking more broadly about RE, EE, environmental and worker productivity issues having started this journey.
More...

Doolittle Sothere

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Tuesday November 25, 2008 · 5:05 PM PST

2008/11/25 · 17:05

Nov. 4th was a great day for progressives as well as community-based energy solutions. Little-noticed ballot Issue 1A in Boulder County, CO, passed by nearly 2:1, marking an historic milestone in our country's quest for energy independence/security. Ballot 1A approved $40M in local EE/RE bonds for local residents and businesses who wish to invest in energy efficiency or green energy generation, and is similar to Berkeley's $80M solar roof bond program. Bonds are paid back on property taxes-and the obligation stays with the home so repayment is assured even if the house is sold.

While we desperately need strategic federal energy policy leadership, the actual battle to Energize America will be fought in the trenches of local communities such as Boulder. More after the jump.

Poll

22 votes Show Results

Should Your Community Issue Energy Smart Bonds?

22 votes Vote Now!

Should Your Community Issue Energy Smart Bonds?

HELL Yes - I want in now

13 votes

Yes - seems to make sense for my community

5 votes

Maybe - not sure my community needs it / would understand it

1 vote

No - too many homes in default in my community

3 votes

LEEDing the way...to a Green Collar job (w/poll)

Doolittle Sothere

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Thursday November 20, 2008 · 5:53 PM PST

2008/11/20 · 17:53

Welcome to my journey. I am pursuing LEED PA certified to increase my sustainability knowledge base, to help guide my restoration of an historic opera house, and to improve my chances of landing a green collar job after 20 years in high tech – despite an economy on life support and a sea of job seekers. Anyone interested in cleantech, efficiency, sustainability or the environment can benefit from formal LEED certification as it integrates these critical and frequently separate elements into a practical whole, and enables you to think more systematically about each as well. A LEED AP is generally recognized as an expert in the field of sustainable design and can add significant value to a cleantech career. And, who knows, LEED certification may help you get that coveted green collar job as together we Energize America.

More on LEED and LEED PA after the jump.

Poll

58 votes Show Results

Can LEED PA certification help your career?

58 votes Vote Now!

Can LEED PA certification help your career?

Yes - already LEED-certified

9 votes

Yes - can definitely help me stand out

23 votes

Maybe - beats 'want fries with that'?

19 votes

No - don't need it, never will

7 votes

Energize America Kicks Into High Gear

Doolittle Sothere

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Monday November 19, 2007 · 6:49 AM PST

2007/11/19 · 06:49

Many of you are familiar with Energize America from the many fine diaries by Jerome a Paris and A Siegel. For the uninitiated, EA is a unique, comprehensive, all-volunteer, netroots plan for US energy independence. We collectively created a 20-point plan, which we unveiled at YK06 with NM Gov. Bill Richardson. Since then we've been working to introduce specific legislation based on the plan - the first being the 'Energy Smart Communities Act'.

Today's good news is that EA has been selected from hundreds of organizations to participate in the New Progressive Coalition's 'Political Mutual Fund' program. NPC's unique program allows individuals to invest in progressive causes, knowing a rigorous, 3rd party evaluation ensures donations are going to both deserving and effective organizations. What is really cool is that the selected organizations can see clearly how much investment is available for their efforts. Note that NPC's mutual funds provide 'political' ROI, not financial ROI.

Press release is below the fold.

Doolittle Sothere

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Wednesday March 14, 2007 · 12:39 PM PDT

2007/03/14 · 12:39

dKos has been a transformational force in American politics, as evidenced by the victories of Tester, Webb and other politicians and issues. dKos is not only the most influential political blog in the world; it is also becoming a catalyst for 'people-powered' change. Today, four netroots-driven energy policy proposals were delivered to Congress -- to a senior leader who has requested proposals for 10 of the 20 original acts in Energize America.

We've seen dKos grow to nearly 120K or so registered users and over 1M daily page views. We've seen dKos, and offshoot blogs, grow in size and influence in just a few years. And today we witness a real people-powered milestone as the Energize America team submitted 4 energy policy proposals that will help reduce US fossil fuel addiction and GHG emissions. And this is just few of the 20 acts in EA2020.....

What amazes me is both the transparency and the speed of the process. Jerome a Paris kicked off a series of discussions in early 2006 that culminated in Energize America 2020 v5, presented with NM Gov. Bill Richardson at YKos06. more...

Doolittle Sothere

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Sunday August 07, 2005 · 12:25 PM PDT

2005/08/07 · 12:25

Driving to Cleveland this weekend, I experienced a very bizarre petro-nightmare. All 5 of the stations at I-71 & US-36 were sold out. Gridlock for 30 minutes as more drivers kept exiting to refill, only to become trapped by everyone else trying to escape. A few folks simply had to park and wait because they were too low to continue driving.

We experienced the exact same phenomenon at the next exit north. Fortunately, we were able to quickly get back onto the highway and hit the next gas station northbound, which fortunately had liquid crack available.

Being stuck in no-gas gridlock, and realizing firsthand how absolutely dependent we are on petroleum is disorienting and very disturbing. It doesn't take much imagination to see how bad things can get so very quickly when our God-given gasoline is not as readily available as we would like. The next fuel shortage will be much, much worse than the modest inconveniences during the '73 oil embargo. We are 30 years more dependent, and not much smarter.

RSS

LEEDing the Way to a Green Collar Job, Vol. III (the exam)

Energy Smart Solutions Vol. II: Eco-Homes (w/poll)

LEEDing the Way, Vol. II (Location, Location, Location)

Investing in Energy Smart Solutions - Locally (w/poll)

LEEDing the way...to a Green Collar job (w/poll)

Energize America Kicks Into High Gear

(Another) dKos 'high water mark' set today

No gas in OH; supply blip or hellish preview??