Greenleaders in the LEED

November 8, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Green on November 9, 2011

The Sustainable Furnishings Council's Greenleaders training course now counts for LEED continuing education credit.

The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program is an internationally recognized green building certification system.

The Greenleaders course, the home furnishings industry's first and most comprehensive certified sustainability training, was created in 2009 by a LEED-AP and SFC staff and vetted by the Sustainable Furnishings Council board, including ranking staff of World Wildlife Fund, Rainforest Alliance, and one of the two co-founders of USGBC/LEED.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, promotes sustainable building and development practices with strict rating systems and a curriculum. The Sustainable Furnishings Council's Greenleaders contributes an essential piece within the Education Review Body-approved continuing education courses. These courses offer credit toward the credential maintenance requirements of the LEED Green Associate and LEED Accredited Professional, with specialty professional credentials. While most of the LEED programs focus on the building, Greenleaders focuses on furnishing the interior. It also is distinguished by the thorough overview it provides of sustainability issues in home furnishings and by the practical business-building tools it includes.

To date, nearly 600 home furnishing professionals have enrolled in the Greenleaders certification program, with more on the way. The six-unit GREENleaders program is worth six continuing education credit hours, and covers a wide range of topics pertinent to the home furnishings industry and sustainability, including environmental issues, sourcing products and components, design issues, and showroom operations.

"The training has been well-received from the start," said SFC Executive Director Susan Inglis. "Interior design, manufacturing, and retailing professionals all find the course immediately useful and practical. We are delighted to be able to offer this value to a wider audience through recognition by the LEED Education Review Body."