The LEED test

I have been asked more times than I can remember about the difficulty of the test to become a LEED-AP. My answer has become consistent - it was hard for me because I didn't know anything about building a building or site planning or anything like that so I had to learn what ASHRAE was and what a MEP was and what a brownfield was etc. Hardly things that I use in my everyday furniture life. So, I studied like crazy for many months and worked really hard to prepare and passed. In the words of an old business mentor, I am not the brightest or smartest so I prepare, prepare, prepare.

When I was studying four years ago, I had to explain to everyone, including my parents, what it was that I was learning. No one in my circle had heard of the USGBC and no one seemed to know what a LEED test contained. After I passed, I joined our local USGBC chapter and met some amazing people like Bob Noble, Drew George and Beth Brummitt to name a few. First Adopters and light years ahead of me when it came to green knowledge. I learned so much - and continue to learn.

My dad, Roy Slade, was the president of Cranbrook Academy of Art for many years and an avid learner. He has been curious about the USGBC and green building from the day I told him about it. As he and my mom travel around the country, they constantly report back about their findings of green and how pervasive it has become. During a recent interview for a documentary about Florence Knoll, Saarinen, Cranbrook and design in America, he was asked about sustainable design. He called to say, thank you for the Green Goddess blog and it's information! Finally, someone admitting to reading my blog!! If your parents don't read it, who would???? Anyway, his answer included a conversation about nature in design and how it has been prevalent in art forever. It is about green practices but it is also about integration with nature and the totality of art and it's very nature.

So, if you are thinking about taking the LEED test, I have really straightforward advise. Buy the study materials, go to your local USGBC chapter and sign up for a LEED study group and study like mad. I also went to the USGBC Cascadia chapter website and bought their flash cards - depending on how you learn, these are really handy. Study hard and talk to people.