Understanding Green Certifications
LEED - Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
STAR-AD - Energy Star & Earth Advantage
Types of Certifications for Homes
ENERGY STAR® Homes Northwest is a program administered by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, a non-profit corporation supported by the Bonneville Power Administration, electric utilities, public benefits administrators, state governments, public interest groups and energy efficiency industry representatives. These entities work together to make affordable, energy-efficient products and services available in the marketplace. For more information, go to www.northwestenergystar.com.
Earth Advantage, Inc., a non-profit, is a leader in the sustainable building industry in the Pacific Northwest. Earth Advantage homes are designed for overall sustainability and use at least 15 percent less energy than houses built to standard code practices. The corporation offers a premier suite of residential green building programs - Earth Advantage, ENERGY STAR and LEED for Homes - which incorporate energy efficiency, indoor air quality and environmental responsibility measures. For more information, visit www.earthadvantage.org.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System® is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED for Homes program is a voluntary initiative promoting the transformation of the mainstream home building industry towards more sustainable practices. For more information, go to www.usgbc.org.
Types of Realtor® Certifications
The Association of Energy and Environmental Real Estate Professionals, based in Evergreen Colorado provides training for the ecoBroker designation. For more information, visit www.ecoBroker.com.
The Green Real Estate Education Company based in Tampa, Florida offers the Green Certified Real Estate Professional. For more information, visit www.GreenRealEstateEducation.com.
The U.S. Green Building Council, based in Washington D.C. grants the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professionals designation. For more information, visit www.usgbc.com.
Earth Advantage provides the EA S.T.A.R. (Sustainability Training for Accredited Realtors) Program - "A program to educate Realtors® on how to identify, value and market green homes." For more information, visit www.earthadvantage.org.
