Among the many signs that green building has truly reached the mainstream is the number of people who have earned LEED Professional Accreditation: more than 31,300 people now follow their names with the prestigious designation "LEED AP."  

With the expansion of the LEED suite of products, USGBC is also working to expand the accreditation program. First launched in February of 2001, the current exam is based on LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) v2.1. In order to support and engage interiors and facility management practitioners, USGBC is undertaking the development of a professional accreditation program to support the LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) and LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) rating systems, which were released in late 2004.  

Earning LEED Professional Accreditation enables professionals to demonstrate their ability to apply the LEED Rating System to green building projects and facilitate and encourage the integrated design process. The accreditation exam ensures that the candidate has the knowledge and skills needed to successfully steward a green building project from design to certification. Becoming accredited offers numerous benefits to all who successfully meet the challenge of the exam: not only does it provide a marketable credential to an employer, prospective employer, or clients, but it also serves to promote and encourage the transformation of the built environment.  

To learn more about LEED Professional Accreditation, please contact USGBC at exam@usgbc.org

This is the second in a series of articles detailing the latest news and information that was released at Greenbuild 2005. All comments are the sole responsibility of the author. 

This article was originally posted 12/6/05.