Certified Green Building Professional Training - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

CatAlii · 05-10-2008, 01:02 PM

Two of us in the company just completed Build It Green's Certified Green Building Professional Training and took the exam. I highly recommend the training for every builder. For those who haven't heard of Build It Green they are California's non-profit organization for healthy and resource efficient building. The training covers building science, designing and building a home, landscaping, case studies and dispels common myths and misunderstanding about what green building really is.....and isn't. The lead instructor is phenomenal - he worked in construction for years and has a BA in Economics, an MBA and a Masters in Energy & Environmental Policy. He worked with the Austin Energy Green Building Program (where it all began!) as well as on the USBGC's LEED-residential steering committee before starting his own consulting and training firm. I could go on about his credentials but I will just say that he is one of the best instructors/lecturers/trainers/speakers I have ever had the privelege of hearing and learning from. He far surpases any of my professors from college.

Since buildings consume 65% of electricity, create 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, consume 12% of the water and use 40% of all the raw materials globally I think anyone in the building industry would benefit from learning best building practices. Construction and demolition waste accounts for 12-50% of the waste in the US! These figures are from the US DOE, EPA and USA Geological Science by the way.

As they went over in the course - it's not about straw bale houses or weird looking buildings, it's not about solar panels or recycled materials, and it's not just something that will appeal to certain people. It's certainly not any more expensive to build well - you can build a very expensive wasteful toxic dump of house and you can build a very affordable high quality sustainable healthier home and you can build everything in the middle.

It's about a whole-system approach to designing and building structures that
-are integrated into the wider site and community (wouldn't it be cool if we had neighborhoods that were condusive to playing, being outside and sharing good times with your friends, families and neighbors)
-consume less energy & water
-are durable and easier to maintain (who wouldn't want a house that would last and require less repairs?)
-use resource efficient techniques & materials
-are healthier, safer & more comfortable

That's my plug for the CGBP Training in California. If anyone is lucky enough to live where it is offered I highly recommend it - it is the best money I've ever spent. Actually there were even some out of state folks who had flown in to take the training because their state didn't have anything like it. It was just such a great experience for us I couldn't wait to recommend it.

Sarah9910 · 05-10-2008, 01:13 PM

Cathy: very nice post, I wish I would have become a builder instead of my current career. This is very cool.

CatAlii · 05-10-2008, 01:36 PM

I know what you mean Sarah. But you know....it's never too late to change your direction if that's what you want to do. My other "job" is as an engineer for an aerospace company. I came out of the training wondering if switching gears to building full-time was where I should be headed. Helping people make their homes healthier, more comfortable, longer lasting, less wasteful, etc. just seems so rewarding. Even my husband who has worked in construction for 30 years and been a GC for 20 years was really excited after the training.

LaurieC · 05-11-2008, 06:48 AM

Cathy- I'm in your area. Where did you take the class?

CatAlii · 05-11-2008, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurieC

Cathy- I'm in your area. Where did you take the class?

The So Cal Gas facility in Downey. The next closest place that they offer the class is Irwindale. Check Build It Green's website for schedules. www.builditgreen.org

**Ed the Roofer** · 05-11-2008, 01:32 PM

I'm in the Chicago area as a roofing contractor, so could you share with the board, what do they have that is cost comparitive in the way for roofing products?

So far, solar is obscene in pricing and alternative synthetic products cost 3 to 10 times as much as traditional shingle products.

Ed

CatAlii · 05-11-2008, 03:20 PM

I don't think there is a perfect roofing product - every material has pros and cons and you have to weigh those for your situation. I think for roofing the most important factor to consider is if the material will have a long life requiring minimal repairs. Then you have to look at how the material was manufactured - it's embodied energy. What is it made out of, how was it made, what by-products does the manufacturing create, how far were the materials and finished product transported. When you look at what it is made of you want to make sure that nothing harmful is going to leach into the rain water runoff. And when the house is torn down are the roofing materials recyclable?

Of course the climate you're in will determine your options but to weigh the pros and cons of a few materials:

wood shingles - expensive, sometimes treated with toxic preservatives & fire retardants, durable, better to select shingles made with FSC certified wood

asphalt shingles - less expensive, must watch out for shingles that don't have a long guarantee, some are made with recycled/reclaimed materials, made with petrochemicals

metal - long life, highly reflective, can contain a high % of recycled material, work well with PV panels, anodized finish aluminum roofing seems preferable to copper and zinc coated materials that can be polluting

clay tile - durable, cool, tiles can often be reused, don't leach pollutants but can be heavy. These are really popular where we are but don't seem like a good choice for your area. Do you get a lot of hail?

concrete tile - cost less than the clay tile they are supposed to resemble, durable, cool, cost more to manufacture

slate - durable, natural resource, can be reclaimed/reused, no toxic runoff except not good in areas that get acid rain, installation is more difficult than other materials,

synthetic shingles made from recycled materials - very durable, rainwater runoff leaching problems aren't really well known, can be more expensive

fiber cement composite - similar to clay

I really don't think there is a perfect answer like there is with toilets - you can pretty much say that a highly efficient toilet that uses less water is the best choice. For roofing it depends on the area, home construction, whether the owner wants to use the roof for rainwater harvesting or PV panels or needs light colored material to keep their home cooler, etc. I think the best roofing would be the material that best suits your client's house, would last the longest and be installed to the highest quality. No doubt you already do all of that so you're already a green roofer.

How's that for a flakey tree-hugger's opinion?