Tom asks: As a manufacturer/supplier of wood kitchen and bath cabinets, what classes would be most beneficial to me so I could answer LEED questions from architects and LEED APs?

Answer: Hi Tom, thanks for your question.

In terms of LEED training classes, based on what you've described, there are several routes you may pursue that can get you a strong foundation or a LEED credential. We believe the LEED Green Associate credential is the place to start for those interested in getting familiar with green building, LEED and the important attributes of sustainability.

LEED GA is the Tier I LEED credential and covers a ton of important concepts in sustainability and LEED. The LEED Green Associate (LEED GA) credential is also a starting point for many professionals who desire to become LEED Accredited Professionals.

Once you get started, for your particular industry, you will want to familiarize yourself with the MR (Materials and Resources) credit category and the IEQ (Indoor Environmental Quality) credit category within the various LEED rating systems.

The MR category deals with the materials involved in a project and contains the important "Certified Wood" credit which you may already be familiar with for its focus on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified woods and Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification. The MR category also stipulates the rules for percentages of recycled content, rapidly renewable materials, regional materials, materials reuse in furniture and furnishings and non-structural components.

The IEQ category includes the treatments that may go on the products you create, such as sealants, adhesives, coatings and paints and composite woods and agrifiber materials. As people spend as much as 90% of their lives indoors, treatments such as these, if they are toxic, and/or result in significant offgassing, can have a seriously negative effect on the quality of an indoor work or living environment. So you'll want to get familiar with the ins and outs of this category as well.

Any LEED Green Associate study bundle or in-class LEED Green Associate prep training will get you where you need to go to be comfortable with the material. While the LEED Green Associate prep material may not go into deep detail on the requirements of specific credits in a LEED Rating System, you may purchase the LEED Reference Guides to get this specific information. The LEED ID+C: Interior Design and Construction (formerly LEED for Commercial Interiors) Reference Guide or the LEED BD+C: Building Design and Construction (formerly LEED for New Construction) Reference Guide can give you much more detail.

If you are not pursuing a credential, per se, and simply want to educate yourself on green building, you or your company may want to join the U.S. Green Building Council or contact your local USGBC chapter which may have training courses available as well. For more information on such training check out this page.

Hope this helps!
Rob Freeman Jr., LEED AP