IECA Joins Forces With Others in the Green Building Industry
Just as erosion control professionals join IECA to enhance the quality of their work and career, IECA itself has joined several organizations to improve the quality of its programs and services to members. One of these organizations is the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
Representing more than 17,000 member organizations, including corporations, governmental agencies, nonprofits, and others from throughout the construction industry, the nonprofit USGBC certifies sustainable businesses, homes, hospitals, schools, and neighborhoods. As an organization dedicated to expanding green building practices and education, it shares IECA’s interest in improving air and water quality, conserving natural resources, and enhancing and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity.
In addition, USGBC established the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. This voluntary, consensus-based national program for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings addresses all types of buildings and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas. Those of special interest to IECA are sustainable site development and water-saving practices.
Better Training
One benefit of IECA’s membership in USGBC is the opportunity to boost the quality of IECA’s educational programs. “USGBC has a very rigorous review process for evaluating its education programs and applicants for the LEED certification,” explains Russ Adsit, FASLA, IECA’s executive director. “Subjecting our courses to the high standards of USGBC’s comprehensive review process offers a promising potential for improving our training courses and the value members receive from them.”
This evaluation covers all aspects of a course, from content and materials to instructor qualifications. It includes a description of the course and learning objectives, as well as the length and educational level of the course.
One-Stop Learning
Meeting USGBC’s educational standards will also mean that the numerous members of IECA who also are LEED-certified can maintain their certification by attending appropriate IECA training courses.
Scoring More Points
Currently, the number of points awarded for controlling erosion and sediment and managing stormwater at a LEED construction project site is relatively less than those given for environmentally friendly practices and materials used in building the structure. For example, using wood from trees harvested in a sustainable manner or installing a highly energy-efficient heating and cooling system earn more points than planting shade trees around the building, to reduce the need for cooling, or not planting grass in a desert landscape to minimize the need for irrigation water.
“That’s been a source of frustration for a lot of us involved with the exterior side of the construction business,” says Adsit.
However, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the United States Botanic Garden, and a group of organizations with similar common interests have launched the Sustainable Sites Initiative (http://www.sustainablesites.org). It reflects the desire to protect and enhance the ability of landscapes in regulating the climate, cleaning air and water, and improving the quality of life. The goal is to develop guidelines and standards for landscape sustainability. Part of that initiative is Sustainable Sites, a cooperative effort designed to supplement existing green building and landscape guidelines, as well as becoming a stand-alone tool for site sustainability.
“The LEED point system is being revised, and this initiative is seeking to increase the value given for outside practices, like erosion and sediment control,” Adsit says. “Membership in the USGBC gives IECA the opportunity to have a voice in increasing the weight of LEED points awarded for the type of services that our members provide.”
