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According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, buildings in the U.S. account for 12% of total national fresh water consumption. Reducing the need for water reduces stress on the local water infrastructure and leaves reservoirs and aquatic ecosystems intact. Renewable Energy Trust.
Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources - energy, water and materials - while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle - design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™ is a voluntary, consensus-based standard to support and certify successful green building design, construction and operations.
Buildings receive LEED certification whereas; professionals receive LEED accreditation (LEED AP).
www.usgbc.org/leed
The LEED Professional Accreditation program is managed by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).
Green Advantage® is an environmental certification for building-related practitioners - primarily contractors, subcontractors and trades people.
www.greenadvantage.orgBoth systems are meant to certify a building professional's knowledge about green building. While anyone can study and take the test, the LEED AP program was intended for use by design professionals and building operators. The Green Advantage Certification was designed for supervisory level contractors, and references the parts of the LEED rating system that are applicable to the contracting community.