SFC GREENleaders Celebrates 2-Year Anniversary

December 19, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on December 20, 2010

The Sustainable Furnishings Council's GREENleaders Certified Sustainability Training course will see some changes as it celebrates its second year.

First presented at Las Vegas Furniture Market in February 2009, the GREENleaders program was the first and remains the only major accreditation for expertise in the area of sustainable residential home furnishings. Content was vetted by ranking staff of Rainforest Alliance, World Wildlife Fund and one of the two co-founders of the USGBC/LEED program and has been delivered via webinar and live presentations at all the major furniture trade shows. To date, nearly 450 people have taken the intensive 6-hour exam course to receive their accreditation.

Changes for the new year include the launch of a recertification program called GREENleaders renewal, a 2-hour annual recertification course to keep past graduates current on important developments in the green movement. This is necessary for GREEN AP's, each graduate's professional designation, to retain their accreditation and ensure that they remain the best resource for guidance on this subject. The basic course is also regularly updated, including findings from the latest consumer study completed in September 2010 that was sponsored by World Market Center Las Vegas for the second year in a row.

One of the main findings of the study is that while financial concerns are definitely impacting the marketplace, consumers remain significantly interested in sustainable solutions provided they cost about the same as other options with 37 percent likely to buy. The obstacles are awareness and availability, so knowing what to look for, where to find them and being able to communicate in a clear and compelling way remains a big opportunity for providers to differentiate themselves.

Winter Las Vegas Furniture Market will be the next place for interested participants to take GREENleaders training. The first renewal course for graduates will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 26, and the full course for new participants will be held all day on Thursday, Jan. 27. For those who cannot attend, a webinar series is also scheduled after market beginning on Monday, Jan. 31.

To register or learn more, contact margaret@sustainablefurnishings.org or call 919.967.1137.