Interim Chair and Associate Professor Daniel Castro was recently appointed to serve on the Certification Board of Green Advantage, Inc., the nation’s accrediting body for green builders. The two-year term was announced during a two day summit held in Washington, D.C. January 22-23, 2011.

The Green Advantage (GA) Certification Board represents a diverse group of green academic research and policy setting organizations as well as other experts from across the country.  Castro’s research focuses on innovative technologies for sustainable construction, and concentrates on the feasibility of state-of-art fuel cells for residential construction, as well uses for material selection and energy system retrofitting.  

“Green Advantage is privileged to have a Certification Board composed of such high caliber individuals,” said Grady O’Rear, Green Advantage, Inc. President/CEO. “Their involvement will ensure significant advancement of the quality and effectiveness of Green Advantage Certification.”

Green Advantage® Certification was created with support from the US EPA, SAIC, The Nature Conservancy, and the University of Florida. Individuals attaining Green Advantage (GA) Certification have passed the Green Advantage Certification Exam®, demonstrating practical knowledge of current green building principles, materials, and techniques as well as the rationale for green building. Commercial, Residential, and Commercial/Residential certifications are available, with a specific exam required for each. Because the green building field is rapidly changing, candidates must become recertified every three years in order to maintain Green Advantage Certification. Green Advantage Certification is primarily designed for construction field personnel: contractors, subcontractors, trades people, architects, engineers, and others in the building industry. Green Advantage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Green Advantage® and GA Exam® are registered trademarks of Green Advantage, Inc.

The 2011-2013 Green Advantage Certification Board is as follows:

James Brew, Rocky Mountain Institute; Daniel Castro, Georgia Institute of Technology, Rich Dooley, Sustainability Consultant; David Eisenberg, DCAT/International Code Council; Bruce Hammond, Hammond Fine Homes; Rob Holsten, Wilson Community College; Scott Kelly, Re:Vision Architecture; James Kerr, IMC Construction;  Margot McDonald, California Polytechnic State University; Kim Mihalik, Environmental Consultant; Chris O’Brien, American University; Georg Reichard, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; John Spears, Sustainable Design Group; James Sullivan, University of Florida; Maruja Torres-Antonini, University of Florida; Darryl Williford, Bowie State University.

With a focus on promoting clarity, appropriateness, and diverse participation within the nationally recognized Green Advantage Certification credentialing program for green builders, the newly convened certification board, along with GA staff, will enhance the exam development process in keeping with the highest standard of personnel certification, ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024 and will ensure the impartiality, comprehensiveness, and accessibility of the GA Exam®. 

Made possible by assistance from the Ford Foundation, Holland and Knight, and Infineco, the Summit was held at the Washington, D.C. office of Gensler and was deemed an extraordinary success. The new board will utilize input gathered from industry experts, construction personnel, workforce development and green building rating system representatives to further develop the comprehensive set of competencies and best green building field practices from which GA Exam® items are derived. 

According to Green Advantage Certification Standards team member, Doug Schroeder, “The Board recognized the important role of Green Advantage Certification in bridging ‘on-site’ gaps by combining subject matter requirements that represent design perspectives with construction sequencing and best practices that reflect the way contractors and subcontractors approach a project.”

For detailed information please visit http://www.greenadvantage.org/.