Building and design professionals can now gain a competitive edge learning about best practices in green purchasing. The Green Standard is now offering a specialized on-line training program that can lead to certification as a Green Purchasing Accredited Professional. The Green Standard is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2000 to advance sustainable production and consumption, using life-cycle based resources.
 
Green Purchasing Accredited Professional program, which is set to begin April 23, is an intensive on-line training that supports efforts toward green best practices in product evaluation, selection and purchase.

The knowledge gained from Green Purchasing AP program will enable organizations to efficiently and effectively navigate today's environmentally-sensitive business landscape, while building value, competitive advantage and social responsibility.  The four on-line modules provide actionable ways to green the supply chain and empower purchasers to make the best possible choice of products using scientifically robust and third party verified information.   Successful completion of the training will prepare participants for the exam leading to designation as a Green Purchasing Accredited Professional.
 
"We are pleased to be bringing together in one training program ten years of work our organization has spent researching the needs of building designers for tools that are science-based yet user-friendly," says The Green Standard president and CE0 Deborah Dunning.

Registration is open for the training, which costs $750. Individuals who register before April 15 can save 20 percent, bringing the cost to $599. The Green Standard will also waive the $199 exam fee for companies that are enrolling more than five participants before April 15.

The modules are as follows:

Module 1: Understanding the Framework: Best Practices Globally

To engage in best practices in green purchasing, one must first comprehend the frameworks of green purchasing and have an understanding of best practices and their efficient application. Purchasing professionals need to understand the available product evaluation tools, new state and federal requirements that may affect certain projects, and the use of green purchasing in combination with the LEED, Green Globes and other green building rating systems.

Module 2: Organizing the Resources: Standards, Certifications and EcoLabels

The first half of this two-part module gives you a conceptual understanding of standards, certifications and eco-labels. The second part continues with an in-depth overview of the major standards, certifications and labels that are being used and marketed to green purchasing professionals. This module educates and empowers you to use green labels effectively and determine which ones best fit your organization's values, needs and procurement processes.

Module 3: Understanding the Basics: Tools That Contribute to Green Purchasing

Several existing tools can facilitate the process, and new ones are introduced each year.  Carbon footprints and chemicals screening are being used widely as a means of selecting green products. Increasingly, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is being employed to ascertain and to help communicate the holistic impacts of products. Product LCAs are used as the basis for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), considered the core component in the Global Product Information System. In this double module, you will learn what these and other tools actually do or don't do, and how they can be used most effectively.  

Module 4: Creating a Green Purchasing Policy: Useful to and Used by All

The goal of this module is to support the participant in first creating a draft purchasing policy and then leading a discussion with peers on the ways it can be used to enhance the productivity of their organization and their brand in the national and global marketplace. 
 
Each module will include supplementary articles on green purchasing selected by the staff of The Green Standard. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions to the instructor upon completion of each module. Each module will conclude with an online quiz to assess comprehension before proceeding to the next lesson.    

After completing all four modules participants can decide whether or not to take the online exam, a requirement for achieving designation as a Green Purchasing Accredited Professional. Exam fee is $199.

The Green Purchasing Accredited Professional training is part of The Green Standard's BRIGHT GREEN, BRIGHT FUTURE™ campaign, a yearlong educational initiative to empower manufacturers and purchasers to confidently navigate the environmental landscape while making lighter footprints. The campaign commenced at Greenbuild 2008 with the launch of The Green Standard's Gaia Product Profile and Environmental Product Declaration System, the first ISO-compliant EPD system in the United States. Knoll and Shaw were announced as early adopters of the program.