becoming a LEED AP

The editor of Green Building Insider, www.greenbuildinginsider.com, invites me to write about LEED topics primarily because I have been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2004. I took a class from the USGBC in 2002 taught by some of the founders of the LEED program because back then the program was quite new and experimental and instructors were few and far between. I greatly value the fact that I became a LEED AP so early so that I have first hand knowledge of how the organization has evolved.

Summer Porches

As an architect, I am beginning this blog to inspire other designers to think in the most creative ways to be green.

Many years ago, homes were built with summer porches. So, in the evenings and for sleeping, the family would camp out on the second floor porch added to the rear end of the home. Besides the exotic aspect of this sleeping arrangement, it was one way to achieve a good night's sleep without sweating like a pig. The natural breezes of the summer night air were unobstructed and the family slept like content babies.

So, no air conditioning for the summer porch family.