LEED GA=?

green advocate?
gay aristocrat?
groove armada?

green associate - aka non-designers/engineers like lawyers, real estate brokers, sales folks,bankers and all those others that have minimal influence in making a building more efficient or ecologically appropriate but they still end up getting paid more then us.

btw, anyone knows where i can download the studying materials? is it free?

associate? wtf, probably the lamest word bandied around in the professional world.

i prefer gay aristocrat.

"which denotes basic knowledge of green design, construction, and operations."

only it doesn't. usgbc is full of puppets to the maufacturing sector.

hey barry in my experience it's those lawyers, policy makers, developers etc who are the only ones with the power to make a building more efficient or ecologically appropriate. maybe it's a cynical view, but with out the developer client willing to foot the bill for a sustainable building it would not happen, and most of them only do as much as they are either forced by local codes or deemed marketable by their marketing departments. and that is usually only a green veneer at best. maybe they try to reach a certain 'green benchmark' that is either stipulated by local planning or if they are ambitious will try to do more, like LEED certification, etc.

now, we can, and should, fight to make ourselves have more power in this scenario, but this is what i have seen in my experience the last couple of years.

so let's not knock the GA's out there that want to gain a little more knowledge about being green.

I thought the Green Associate exam was the first part in the new 2 part exam process. In other words, you must first pass the Green Associate exam to sit for the Accredited Professional exam. Also, I think you now need to have worked on one LEED Certified project within the past 3 years to sit for the AP exam.

Chili - I believe you are right. But that doesn't mean what everyone else has said is not valid either. So with the 2 step system now, people that not trained in building design/construction can now get the LEED GA. And then design/construction professionals take the 2nd step exam to get the AP.

Its actually probably the right step since as I was studying/taking the LEED AP exam, I was thinking how difficult it must be for people not familiar with the design/construction process (except for the fact that it will make everyone else also take 2 tests and pay more $).

As for the "fight to make ourselves have more power in this scenario" I agree completely. We are still at the whim of the client (sets max) and federal/state/local requirements (sets minimum). Often there is very little space between those minimums and maximums, let alone the possibility of being unfeasible in the first place. There should be a better system in place for design professionals to have more power in the fight for something above the minimum requirements (doesn't have to be LEED).

thanks archtopus for clarification... i can foresee now Leed will issue different version in the future-

Leed for the politican(the liar),
Leed of the wall street scum bag (goldman sachs),
Leed for the whinners (architects),
Leed for the outcast and so on...

a new form of taxation for the industry, but the difference is that no one has any idea where the money is going^^

In response to some comments...

The intent of USGBC is to increase the complexity of the LEED rating systems and exams to correspond to the market and profession. With many buildings easily attaining a silver rating, USGBC revamped the systems since their aim is to exceed the baseline for what a green building is. On the professional side, when bankers, lawyers, carpet reps, etc are passing a highly technical exam it's time for a change.

I think that LEED and the GA/AP exams are a neccessary evil. I don't believe it should be necessary for me to take an exam verifying that I know how to design a sustainable building. Green design is good design, and should be how we all design. I don't need a test to tell me I know those fundamentals. That's what I learned in architecture school and continue to learn through experience. But I need it to tell clients I know "green."

It's all about marketing and educating the uninformed. Even if we do not use LEED we still push to green our projects. And for clients who are unfamiliar with the nuances of sustainability, the LEED guides make pretty good outlines.

ANYHOW... The reference guides are going through another revision now and will be ready in September. The chapter director here insisted that everyone wait until then to take the GA and AP exams. However, the GA exam will be equal in difficulty of the old AP exam.

so will everyone who's currently a LEED AP have to change their titles to LEED GA since the old exam and the green associate exam are equivalent?

no - if you passed the exam before june 30, 2009 you are a LEED AP 4-eva!!

I thought they were going to phase in some kind of continuing education to retain your LEED AP status? I swear I read that somewhere.

And by the way, how can the LEED GA and old LEED AP exam be "equal in difficulty" considering they'll have a different focus? Difficulty in my opinion is a very subjective thing with this sort of test. I can't for the life of me remember arbitrary numbers, acronyms and beauracratic processes. Concepts once I understand and digest it, I can't forget since I can recreate the logic/reasoning. Numbers and acronyms, no matter how long I chew on it, I end up regurgitating it. Alright enough of the digesting metaphors...

I know I passed the exam already, but it still bothers me that they have so many questions that seem like trick questions that have more to do with testing methods rather than content. I hope they create more content/concept-driven tests.

if you're a LEED AP you can opt-in to the continuing education requirement .. in which case you would become a LEED AP+BD&C or LEED AP+O&M or LEED AP+I&D.

or you can do nothing, retain the LEED AP title, and not be required to take continuing education. i suppose they will eventually end this and require continuing education but for now it's not required.

more here: www.gbci.org/LEED AP without specialty

The LEED Green Associate is a considerably easier exam than the (old) LEED AP. It's based on basic green building concepts and basic understanding of the rating system, and it was created because it doesn't make sense for a receptionist or product rep to have the same designation (or perceived designation) as the architect and engineer actually designing the green buildings. The new LEED AP with specialties help differentiate experts from the rest. While the new AP exams are more difficult than the old exam, they aren't intended to be particularly difficult for people who actually know about green building.

Oh, and architerp, the 2009 Reference Guides are done, published and available for purchase (http://www.usgbc.org/Store/PublicationsList_New.aspx?CMSPageID=1518). They will not be changing (outside of annual incorporation of errata and addenda) until the next version of the rating systems, expected in 2012.

i used this website a lot for studying for the LEED AP exam.
http://www.intheleed.com/
From these comments, I'm not sure if that helps for GA. I also have lots of study sheets if you are interested email me.

"I know I passed the exam already, but it still bothers me that they have so many questions that seem like trick questions that have more to do with testing methods rather than content. I hope they create more content/concept-driven tests."

I think that is the direction they are trying to go, which is why they are focusing the different LEED titles and exams

i agree, the old test wasnt really focused on content, it was more the testing method

i think this is recognized and attempting to be fixed

LEED is still in its infancy, so it will take a little time for it to be the way it should be


It is a necessary evil though now, as otherwise, there would be far less "sustainable" building than there is. Those who say otherwise are wrong

I checked into the GA exam more. I believe the "equality in difficulty" to the LEED 2.2 exam stems from the time invested in studying and amount of content to learn. USGBC published a few sample questions in the GA handbook, but they are softballs. Hopefully this is really the case.

Btw, IDP credits 5 supplementary education units upon passing the LEED AP exam.

The GA exam isn't supposed to be remotely difficult for architects and engineers who have at least a passing knowledge of green strategies.

anyone who passed the leed ap exam a while back ever get any kind of acknowledgment from LEED after the exam?? i figured theyd at least email me saying OK, now you can use this title..

i got a certificate in the mail saying i have achieved the designation of LEED Accredited Professional

did you get one of those?
I think that is all the acknowledgement you will actually get

at gbci.org search under 'directories' to see if you are listed. you can use the sheet from prometric that says you passed the exam (received right after taking the test) until you get your official LEED certificate.

thanks! never got anything in the mail but im listed online

My understand is that they're about 3-4 months behind on delivering AP certificates because of the huge volume of people taking the exam at the beginning of the year.

FYI to LEED GA candidates, an excellent FREE LEED Green Associate practice exam is available at http://www.green-buildings.com/content/78778-free-practice-test-leed-green-associate-exam

In addition, there is a FREE online forum for all members to compare study strategies and feedback on answers to practice questions.

We wish all LEED Green Associate candidates good luck!

- Rob