guess the number of looks and no posts answers my question... ;)

LEED

like with most situations, you get out of something in direct proportion to what you're willing to invest and give back.

if you pass the LEED exam but never apply any of the related knowledge to your work, then yes, it is "more talk than substance"

if you join AIA and then never do anything more than receive the mail, then yes, you won't come close to getting your money's worth.

you have to engage with other people and share information and apply the knowledge you gain to derive value from membership in any organization.

i totally agree with you quizzical

I think it's made me more marketable. I certainly get enough headhunters calling because of it... anyway, the main thing it did for me was show my employers that I am serious about green design and willing to use my own time to further my knowledge of it. As a result of this, when it's time to assemble a project team for something where the client has expressed interest in green design, I get extra consideration for that project.

I did it because I wanted to be fully engaged in the conversation about sustainability, and hopefully use that in practice some day. In reality though, I haven't been able to use it for too much, except for a couple of proposals, and of course, they put my bio page in our firm portfolio.....since I am the only one here that is LEED AP. If you work in the midwest or less populated areas, you might find that it opens more doors for you than in coastal or Chicagoland areas, since it is more ubiquitous there.

thanks guys, exactly the kind of info i was looking for

rationalist -- you reinforce my long-held view that individual practitioners are primarily responsible for the progress of their careers and should not look totally to their firms for "opportunity" -- if you build up your own capabilities and abilities and make those visible in a work situation, you'll get ahead rather quickly.

congratulations

if you don't want to seen as a poser, you gotta get the terminology correct. the usgbc analogous to the aia. LEED is just a tool that leads to certification, people become a LEED Accredited Professional after taking the exam.

we've discussed this before, so please use the search function on archinect...

also please chill about how many looks and how long before bumping a thread. 1 1/2 hours is nothing. less then 100 looks is nothing.

after that post....and im the one who needs to chill?

Career wise the LEED exam is good on your resume ( depends on the kind of office you look to work in ) but some of the most sustainable designer types work around the whole LEED thing. I think people like Renzo Piano, Glenn Murcutt, James Cutler etc all do great work that does not strive to be LEED certified. LEED sort drives its own economy which I am a bit suspect of.

RAArch- I'm a little cranky today from reading reams of reports on climate change's impact on california's water supply.
ok.
here's my apology: sorry.


(but please read all the other threads on this topic).

Just a note on thread-making: sometimes it's handy to go back and read other threads on a topic you're interested in.

But sometimes you want to spark new discussion on an old topic (and sometimes every thread on the recent list is boring and you want something fresh and exciting to talk about.)

A person shouldn't feel like they'll be jumped on for starting a new thread on an old topic.

Oh and on the water supply thing, why do you think Arnold is spending the last few days in Canada.... I still got snow on the ground in places 'round these parts. He's not doing a dog and pony show for a new flick. Perhaps he's talking turkey with the politicos about water supply.

makes you wonder.

my band the Volatile Orgasmic Compounds are going to make a note for note recreation of The Who's "Live At LEEDs"

we have our days treekiller...i will utilize the search better

LEED does not = sustainable.
it seems the more spohisticated clients are by now just putting all the extra costs of LEED simply into their building.