Colorado Real Estate Journal - March 4, 2015
Real estate professionals, aspiring professionals, vendors and- consultants do not always have the opportunity to engage in the hands-on work that comes with the LEED certification process in commercial buildings through their work or through higher education. This is unfortunate, considering how many of these individuals are interested in getting involved with sustainable buildings and how much they have to contribute to the movement. In response, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Colorado chapter and Denver Metro Building Owners and Managers Association are partnering to offer hands-on LEED experience to members and the public using LEED for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance. The co-presenters of the program are Amanda Timmons, LEED AP, member, sustainable specialist, Ampajen Solutions LLC; Ben Stanley, senior sustainability manager, LEED AP BD+C, YR&G; and Phillip Saieg, LEED AP O+M, energy and facility solutions, McKinstry. LEED EBOM certification is the rating that certifies existing, occupied buildings and operations of those buildings. The series will combine traditional classroom education sessions with actual LEED documentation and basic building operations analysis. Program participants can attend all or some of the sessions, which start in March. The sessions will take place at various facilities that are currently undergoing or have recently completed LEED EBOM certification. “I have been active with the EBOM series for the past three years with my co-presenters because there is a need for high-quality ongoing education,” said Timmons. “When we added the hands-on approach past year, we took ongoing education to the next level by allowing participants to truly experience the LEED process. This approach allows participants to see how thoroughly LEED Operations and Maintenance audits building operations. “As we often find during the LEED process, folks may think they have properly implemented sustainably, but often, they have not. Until we dig into the required by LEED, we don’t truly know whether the practices have been implemented by the vendors, in-house team and tenants,” she said. The course sequence avoids lecture style presentations, PowerPoint and panels, which often leave a gap for individuals to gain practical experience on the implementation of LEED strategies for sustainable operations. Instead, participants will gain experience, such as conducting outside air measurements, performing a cleaning assessment and completing a waste audit. Green building colleagues around the country have looked at this partnership and course as a best practice for applied learning. “Every time I participate, I learn something new about building operations and applying sustainability best practices to buildings,” Stanley said. “It’s a great occasion to learn about sustainable operations in an experiential and applied setting. Less PowerPoint, more practice.” “As a co-facilitator of these classes, I am excited to take a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of how the LEED EBOM process is applied and building operations are improved,” said Saieg. “I always learn something new from my co-facilitators and the attendees in each class.” The LEED-EBOM Education Curriculum will consist of four sessions, each at an on-site facility where attendees will learn the tactical process for each requirement. Session 1 will focus on cleaning assessment. Timmons said that it’s obvious that all building operators want to have a clean building because it is better for occupant health, but very few know how to apply the APPA protocol to a building space and develop an associated score. Participants will practice auditing building spaces and applying the APPA protocol to a real space. Attendees will review realworld examples of waste stream audit for Session 2. Most people think they know how to recycle and compost, but many are surprised to learn all that goes into the process, including what materials can and cannot be recycled or composted. The session also will teach attendees how to conduct a waste audit through the practical application in an operating building. Session 3 will cover energy audits. Attendees will practice looking for clues related to energy efficiency opportunities in operating buildings through historic energy use and demand. They also will conduct an energy audit walkthrough and learn about the types of potential improvements that can be uncovered. Session 4 will offer hands on experience on how to measure airflow and how to apply outside air testing concepts to a real system in an operating building. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Pollution Prevention Advisory Board provided funding to reduce registration fees and supplement other costs associated with administering the course. Attendees will help USGBC Colorado and PPAB explore the connection between hands-on learning and quantifiable environmental impacts. This opportunity is open to anyone interested in participating. Those interested can learn more by visiting usgbccolorado.org or emailing patti@usgbccolorado.org. Attending a session at USGBC Colorado’s upcoming Rocky Mountain Green conference also can offer a sense of what EBOM certification is all about. Presented in Partnership with Denver Metro BOMA, three property managers and one building engineer will address successes, challenges and best practices of managing LEED certified- and Energy Star-rated buildings. They will share their experiences in managing properties to reach the building owner’s goals while keeping environmental issues a priority. For more information visit rockymountaingreen.com.