Oona Johnsen

I am interested in some LID continuing education resources (books, classes, conferences, etc).  Any recommendations?

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) is gaining momentum with an announcement they have certified the nation’s first three projects.  As a landscape architect professional, would you become a SITES AP?

Are you involved in your local USGBC chapter?  How has it benefited your career, if at all?

LEED GA – is it worth it?

Green roof in the desert would be great…added insulation, sound attenuation – irrigate with graywater!  Are there precedent projects in the area?

Thank you Eric for your feedback – invaluable information since many have been asking about the LEED GA exam.

Has anyone taken the LEED Green Associate exam? Please share your exam experience.

I also got this information from GBCI: If you area a LEED AP and you choose a specialty – there is no harm in keeping your enrollment and that if you do not report any continuing education hours at the end of the 2 years your LEED AP with Specialty credential will expire, however you will remain a LEED AP without specialty.

FYI: LEED Credentialing Maintenance Program (CMP) – read last sentence!!

Enrollment Options: LEED APs without specialty will be provided with an enrollment window, a 2-year period between fall 2009 and fall 2011. LEED APs without specialty can view their enrollment window through My Credentials at http://www.gbci.org. The last enrollment windows close…[Read more]

Potentially greywater could be treated in a bioswale or series of detention ponds, but in California, this system is impossible to permit (Does anyone know of any States who allow this?). However, you can treat stormwater in that method.

There are strict standards for greywater irrigation – it should not come in contact with people – therefore it is subsurface and also its application is dependent on soil percolation rate, meaning it should not pond to the surface. Not to say with all the rules it is not possible. More potable water is used irrigating landscapes than for basic…[Read more]

I just started working at a new firm, Rana Creek. The first LEED project I am working on is a large scale neighborhood renovation project that will capture greywater from showers & laundry for a for landscape irrigation. It turns out from our initial calculations, all the homes intended for water harvesting collected too much water, so we needed…[Read more]

Is anyone working on a LEED project now? How is it going? Share with us…

Check your status on the USGBC web site. If you are listed as a LEED AP there, everything should be fine and you can assume they are just behind in sending out the certificates.

I hear you Michael! I thankfully still have a job, but am afraid to think outside the box – since I might lose my job because of it.

intheleed.com also has some good explainations:
http://www.intheleed.com/what-exactly-is-the-credential-maintenance-program-for-leed/

Go to the link below to download the “Credentialing Maintenance Program Guide” valid for July 2009 from USGBC – this is the official document addressing credentialling maintenance.
http://www.gbci.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=3665

FYI – Public comments on the Guidelines and Performance Benchmarks Draft 2008 are now posted on the Sustainable Sites Initiative website for review. http://www.sustainablesites.org/report/

Is anyone marketing “green building” or LEED more heavily these days?

Info about the LEED Credentialing Program:
http://www.gbci.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=83