How DVGBC’s Green Advantage Program Started

GA’s major commercial training provider is the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC). Created, developed and administered by members of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC), this one day seminar in preparation for the Green Advantage Certification Exam is based on the need for information that many local contractors, suppliers and subcontractors were and are seeking in order to make changes in the building industry toward more sustainable practices.

Joe Weidle, a construction Executive with the Bedwell Company and a Board member of the DVGBC, began a volunteer effort of conducting one and two hour informal seminars for suppliers and subcontractors to inform and exchange ideas about the many changes taking place in the design and build environment. While his efforts solved the immediate need, a longer term solution was required to develop a comprehensive program that educated and challenged the industry - those who supervise, manage and perform the tasks vital to planning and building projects.

During Greenbuild, the national convention of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Scott Kelly of ReVision Architecture was introduced to Grady O’Rear the Executive Director of Green Advantage and a discussion ensued about a collaborative effort with Joe Weidle and the DVGBC to create and develop a comprehensive program to engage and educate the construction community in sustainable methods and theory that could be implemented on sites throughout both the Delaware Valley and the remainder of the country. Through this introduction the Green Advantage Contractor Training and Certification Program was born.

Rob Fleming, DVGBC board member and an associate professor at Philadelphia University, was recruited and agreed to work with the group to develop, write and set the standard practices used in each class. Weidle and Fleming spent almost a year in the development phase and were very fortunate to have active volunteers form a focus group to critique both the curriculum and the teaching methods.

DVGBC’s Commercial Green Advantage Training has evolved into a comprehensive industry based training program that includes a balanced approach between the theories and realities of building. The training incorporates sustainable practices into the planning and day-to-day site activities while covering all aspects of a construction project from land acquisition to HVAC flush out. The program has been widely accepted throughout the construction industry and hailed by former students as thought provoking, relevant and very useful.

While LEED is a more useful tool for planning and design professionals, Green Advantage complements LEED with specific orientation for building industry managers and supervisors. The classes are structured with both a design professional and construction practitioner as instructors which provides insights into the processes used in the planning and design of green buildings. The team instruction format also addresses the practical aspects of implementation of sustainable practices into the purchasing, contracting and operating on the jobsite.

Classes are interactive with learning games such as green jeopardy, boss the architect and presentations designed to simulate charrettes and green purchasing decision making. The training prepares the student to take the Green Advantage Certification Exam, a comprehensive test based on sustainable theory and practice. Those who successfully pass the Exam become Green Advantage Certified Practitioners for a three year period.

The content of the training provides:

general knowledge and history of the sustainability in the industry
basic tenets of planning and design
extensive explanation of the holistic nature of green building
importance of issues such as planning, quality control and commissioning
interdependency of components and systems and their relevancy to the success and performance of the building

Now as trainers that train the trainers, Weidle and Fleming initially were the only instructors for DVGBC’s nationally conducted Green Advantage commercial training seminars which started with two trainings in 2005 and already in 2008 have 35 trainings with between 30 and 45 practitioners each.

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In This Issue:	March 2008
News Overview Welcome Letter Solar Thermal Making a Difference Part 2 of The Bainey Group How We Started Instructor Spotlight Certification Success Story Zachary Bidle We Want to Hear from You! Green Tips from Chap Vail of New Jersey DSIRE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy? New to the Green Scene? "Business as Usual" Energy Efficiency Decision Approved High Performance Building Requires a High Performance Team	GREENLIGHT Archive June 2008 March 2008 Inaugural Issue
GA’s major commercial training provider is the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC). Created, developed and administered by members of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC), this one day seminar in preparation for the Green Advantage Certification Exam is based on the need for information that many local contractors, suppliers and subcontractors were and are seeking in order to make changes in the building industry toward more sustainable practices. Joe Weidle, a construction Executive with the Bedwell Company and a Board member of the DVGBC, began a volunteer effort of conducting one and two hour informal seminars for suppliers and subcontractors to inform and exchange ideas about the many changes taking place in the design and build environment. While his efforts solved the immediate need, a longer term solution was required to develop a comprehensive program that educated and challenged the industry - those who supervise, manage and perform the tasks vital to planning and building projects. During Greenbuild, the national convention of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), Scott Kelly of ReVision Architecture was introduced to Grady O’Rear the Executive Director of Green Advantage and a discussion ensued about a collaborative effort with Joe Weidle and the DVGBC to create and develop a comprehensive program to engage and educate the construction community in sustainable methods and theory that could be implemented on sites throughout both the Delaware Valley and the remainder of the country. Through this introduction the Green Advantage Contractor Training and Certification Program was born. Rob Fleming, DVGBC board member and an associate professor at Philadelphia University, was recruited and agreed to work with the group to develop, write and set the standard practices used in each class. Weidle and Fleming spent almost a year in the development phase and were very fortunate to have active volunteers form a focus group to critique both the curriculum and the teaching methods. DVGBC’s Commercial Green Advantage Training has evolved into a comprehensive industry based training program that includes a balanced approach between the theories and realities of building. The training incorporates sustainable practices into the planning and day-to-day site activities while covering all aspects of a construction project from land acquisition to HVAC flush out. The program has been widely accepted throughout the construction industry and hailed by former students as thought provoking, relevant and very useful. While LEED is a more useful tool for planning and design professionals, Green Advantage complements LEED with specific orientation for building industry managers and supervisors. The classes are structured with both a design professional and construction practitioner as instructors which provides insights into the processes used in the planning and design of green buildings. The team instruction format also addresses the practical aspects of implementation of sustainable practices into the purchasing, contracting and operating on the jobsite. Classes are interactive with learning games such as green jeopardy, boss the architect and presentations designed to simulate charrettes and green purchasing decision making. The training prepares the student to take the Green Advantage Certification Exam, a comprehensive test based on sustainable theory and practice. Those who successfully pass the Exam become Green Advantage Certified Practitioners for a three year period. The content of the training provides: general knowledge and history of the sustainability in the industry basic tenets of planning and design extensive explanation of the holistic nature of green building importance of issues such as planning, quality control and commissioning interdependency of components and systems and their relevancy to the success and performance of the building Now as trainers that train the trainers, Weidle and Fleming initially were the only instructors for DVGBC’s nationally conducted Green Advantage commercial training seminars which started with two trainings in 2005 and already in 2008 have 35 trainings with between 30 and 45 practitioners each. top of the page

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In This Issue:

March 2008

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The content of the training provides:

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