Thanks for stopping by our site, I hope you find it useful in your march towards sustainability.

My involvement in the home building industry began in the early 1980's - long before "sustainability" and "green" was considered in home design. I joined the organizing group for the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council in 2003, and served as the chapter Secretary through 2009. An interesting thing happened along the way... the USGBC embarked on the idea of expanding the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system beyond commercial buildings, and they developed the LEED for Homes rating system to bring sustainability to the forefront in residential construction. Seizing the opportunity to affect real change in the residential marketplace, I volunteered to serve as the chapter's founding Residential Green Building Advocate and spent two days in training at the USGBC National Headquarters in Washington , D.C. Sensing a need within the chapter, I organized and chaired the LEED for Homes committee from its inception, through 2009, which saw the LEED for homes system through the Pilot program, two public comment periods, final program release, and the development of the "LEED for Homes Accredited Professional" accreditation program.

Although I am a registered Field Agent with the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), I was recently selected to undertake, and successfully completed the beta testing of the new LEED for Homes  "Green Rater" training/credentialing program. The training consisted of three days of classroom work at the USGBC National Headquarters in D.C., 10 hours of webinar training, and passing the Green Rater exam. The USGBC is working to ensure that the "feet on the street" green home raters perform consistently to ensure the integrity of the rating system, a task heretofore left to the local providers.

You may have noted that I am the Residentail Green Building Advocate (RGBA), not the LEED for Homes Advocate... the USGBC recognizes that many green rating systems exist throughout the USA, and respects the work that they do to drive market transformation. The USGBC has entered into a memorandum of understanding with many of the state and regional programs, as well as the only other national green home rating system, and the RGBA's advocate openly for "Green Homes" not exclusively LEED homes.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is when I am afforded the opportunity to speak before civic groups; professional/trade associations; local governments; charities (yes, LEED is achieveable in affordable housing), and industry professionals across the residential spectrum, I strive to be knowledgeable of the three prominent rating systems in the Florida market; LEED for Homes (US Green Building Council), Green Home Standards (Florida Green Building Coalition), and the National Green Building Program (National Association of Home Builders) and often speak about the differences and similarities between the programs during my talks. I'd be happy to discuss arranging a speaking engagement with your group, please see our contact page for information.