NAHB: 4,000 Hold Green Professional Certificate
The number of home builders, remodelers and other members of the real estate and construction industry who hold the Certified Green Professional (CGP) educational designation now tops 4,000, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced recently.
The milestone is the latest sign that NAHB green building education and training initiatives continue to find an enthusiastic audience, said NAHB Chair Joe Robson, a home builder and developer in Tulsa, Okla.
The NAHB Research Center, which administers the National Green Building Certification program for new homes, developments and remodeling projects, is also reporting solid growth: More than 350 homes have been certified and there are 4,500 projects in the certification pipeline.
"When the housing market returns, it will be accompanied by increased demand for green and energy-efficient new homes and remodeling projects," Robson said. "Our members want to ensure they are ready to meet the demand, and that's why so many are beginning to score and certify their projects or studying and taking classes to obtain their CGP designation."
Robson noted that the New Hampshire Builders and Remodelers Association will use part of a recent state grant designed to promote greenhouse gas reduction projects to provide members with the coursework needed for the Certified Green Professional designation.
CGPs must successfully complete three days of classroom training, have two years of industry experience and commit to continuing education requirements.
The coursework is now being enhanced to reflect the requirements of building to the National Green Building Standard, the consensus standard for green homes, developments and remodeling projects approved by the American National Standards Institute in January.
The CGP designation was introduced in February 2008 during the International Builders' Show and is the fastest growing designation offered by the University of Housing. "That's no surprise to me," Robson said. "NAHB members have always been the leaders of the green building movement."