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ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ LEED COURSE RECEIVES USGBC APPROVAL

Washington, D.C. — The Associated General Contractors of America (ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥) today announced its highly popular Building to LEED for New Construction: Overview and the Impact on Construction Practices course curriculum has been reviewed and approved through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider Program. Approval through the USGBC Education Provider Program attests to the credibility of the course, which was introduced in March at ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥'s 89th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

"ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ prides itself on preparing members to lead in innovate new fields, such as green building," said ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ chief executive officer, Stephen E. Sandherr. "Armed with this knowledge, ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ contractors can show owners the latest green options and better utilize the LEED rating system."

The course explains the contractor's role in a project intended to achieve certification under LEED for New Construction, outlines all prerequisites and credits within the LEED rating system and identifies which have a major, moderate or some impact on construction practices. The course also provides a very detailed analysis to the ways those credits with a "Major Impact" will affect estimating decisions, scheduling, documentation, contracts and other construction activities.

"Education is paramount to USGBC's mission of transforming the building marketplace," said Peter Templeton, Senior Vice President of Research & Education, USGBC. "The Education Provider Program accelerates that mission by bringing top–quality courses that have been rigorously tested and reviewed to the public."

The Education Provider Program distinguishes top–quality courses that provide building professionals with an increased understanding of green building theory, techniques and trends. The program aims to drive the green market transformation by reviewing and promoting innovative courses that increase green building knowledge and capacity across the industry. ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥'s "Building to LEED for New Construction" was reviewed by a third–party team and meets the instructional design and subject matter criteria established by USGBC Professional Development Committee. The course is listed along with other third–party–reviewed green building courses, including the USGBC's core LEED offerings, in the newly re–launched .

The Associated General Contractors of America (ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥) is the largest and oldest national construction trade association in the United States. ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ represents 33,000 firms, including 7,500 of America's leading general contractors and 12,500 specialty–contracting firms. More than 13,000 service providers and suppliers are associated with ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ through a nationwide network of chapters. Visit the ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ Web site at . ÃÛ½ÛÖ±²¥ members are "Building Your Quality of Life."

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