mpisano says:
“I think the Green initiatives are all fantastic. I just have an issue with some of the certification costs. During our certification process we found that we had already set in motion certain Green standards and were basically 100% doing what we were supposed to do to be Green, but we had to pay a third party to tell us that we are Green - I know Kudos for us. I know Greenwashing happens, but we are Green.

“There is one organization in California that we would have to pay $5,000 to be certified green and $50,000 to be a gold vendor. Something sounds wrong with that. What I am getting at is, we are doing the right things, yet it feels like we are being punished for it.”

So what is the worth of third-party and second-party certification in concrete terms? Does having a designation like ‘LEED AP’ after your name give you a certain green pedigree? And how many clients will know exactly what the Greenguard or Blue Angel or KCMA ESP designations mean in concrete terms?

This week’s question is: How are you using/not using these seals/designations/certifications? Do you feel that you have easy access to information about the programs, or do you still have questions? For example, the USGBC’s LEED certification process is a points system, and that is fairly common to certifying methodology. As a green professional, do you feel confident in explaining these programs to interested clients?

In addition, do you believe that mpisano’s issues regarding certifications and their associated costs need to be addressed?

Leave your thoughts in the comments.