Green Associate

Nine months into the transition from LEED v2.2 to LEED v3.0, it amazes me how much of a brand name LEED AP has become.  It’s what people search for, it is an industry brand name.  The LEED Green Associate is growing but with 1/20^th the number of LEED APs, it has a long way to go to achieve it’s own brand awareness.  I personally think the USGBC should have made LEED AP the base tier and added a LEED Specialty Professional above the LEED AP.  That would have kept the LEED AP brand name and allowed the 120,000 legacy LEED APs the chance to truly upgrade their credentials – will any legacy LEED APs really take the LEED Green Associate? Probably not.

What’s done is done though.  The LEED Green Associate and LEED AP Specialty exams really is a better system.  People learn core green building concepts and LEED project process first before diving into the technical standards of a LEED rating system.  For most people, the LEED Green Associate satisfies their professional needs.  It is a national credential, it provides a conversational understanding of LEED, and it is simply a better exam.  It tests concepts and terminology vs arguably useless memorization or facts and figures that the previous exams tested.  In fact, I’m willing to bet that 90% of the currently 6000 LEED Green Associates will stop right there and never make it to a LEED AP Specialty.

So back to the branding issue.  Do you really need LEED AP?  I know that’s what most people look for but if you’re not actively involved in the design & construction of a LEED project as an Architect, Engineer, or Contractor you probably don’t need the LEED AP specialty credential.  If you just had LEED GA in your signature block, how many people would really know the difference between LEED GA and LEED AP?

Learn more about the LEED Green Associate credential by registering for an exam prep course. Take the exam and feel confident about your new knowledge of green building concepts!