Salt Lake City Trains Employees to LEED the Way to a Greener City

Green Education Services awarded contract to provide LEED training for 36 city employees

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Jul 06, 2010, 12:41 ET

SALT LAKE CITY, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Education Services, a green building education provider, recently trained thirty-six Salt Lake City employees on USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in a push to educate the city's Planning and Building Review department on green building and planning strategies.

"Salt Lake City, under the direction of Mayor Becker, is striving for a sustainable city," stated Salt Lake City Planning Programs Supervisor Nole Walkingshaw. "The opportunity to train our Planning and Building Review personnel in the LEED certification processes served as an investment in our people and the City."

The two days of training, which occurred on June 8 & 9, 2010, provided an overview of LEED, an internationally recognized green building rating system, and prepared attendees to take the LEED Green Associate credentialing exam, which is offered by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). Topics covered included sustainable design and urban planning strategies, such as stormwater management, choosing sustainable building sites, and regional material prioritization.

Walkingshaw discussed the benefits of the training courses for the personnel who were in attendance from the City.

"Many of the people who participated plan to move forward with the LEED Green Associate certification," he commented. "The others now have an understanding of what it takes to qualify for LEED and have a broad understanding of how sustainable building practices compliment our community."

Salt Lake City has also enacted several energy efficient & alternative energy projects in public buildings across the city. This initiative includes installing solar panels on the Leonard Science Center, capturing & re-using methane to power the City's wastewater treatment plant, and investing in renewable energy credits, which offset more than 700 tons of CO2 annually for the City.

About Green Education Services:

Green Education Services (formerly LEEDTeacher) is North America's premier LEED certification and accreditation exam preparation firm. Their proprietary curriculum and interactive approach is focused on helping AEC professionals tackle any LEED exam, and holistically understand the entire value chain of Sustainable Design applications and Green Building Certification specifications.