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Beth asks: Is a Leed Green Associate different than just Leed Professional? What are the costs involved? Thank you.

Answer: Hi Beth, there are two primary LEED credentials: LEED Green Associate (Tier I) and LEED Accredited Professional (Tier II). The LEED Green Associate credential focuses on the fundamentals of sustainability and LEED whereas the LEED AP credential offers much more specialized knowledge in a particular area of the LEED green building rating system.

Costs: the LEED Green Associate application fee is $50.00. If you are a USGBC national member or FT student, the exam costs $150.00, for all others it's $200.00. There is also a biennial credential maintenance fee of $50.00.

LEED APs are expected to be experts in their areas of focus, which can be one or more of the specific rating systems, LEED for new construction and major renovation (BD+C), LEED for interior design (ID+C), LEED for Healthcare, LEED for Retail, LEED for existing buildings (O+M), etc. There are about eight different rating systems that exist today with others on deck.

Costs: The LEED AP application fee is $100.00. If you are a USGBC national member or FT student, the exam costs $300.00 for what I call the "double exam" or $450.00 for everyone else. See, you can't escape the LEED Green Associate exam, even if you want to go straight to LEED AP. You still have to take, and pass, that exam. So if you've already become a LEED Green Associate, and a USGBC national member or FT student, the costs to take the single "specialty" LEED AP exam are $150.00 or $250.00 for all others. There is a $50.00 biennial credential maintenance fee for LEED AP as well.

There is also an additional credential called LEED AP Fellow (Tier III) which is in the works and would represent the Mac Daddy of sustainability... Who exactly are these people? I am not sure. If Otto Rohwedder (the inventor of sliced bread) was around today, he might be one. Or maybe if Superman was a real person, he could be one... after all, he was able to turn back time at the end of Superman 1, so he could surely do something about Global Warming.

Costs: Priceless.