During the 2023-2024 academic year, UW-Eau Claire is delighted to advance our sustainability programming by providing free Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate training and credentialing to 65 individuals across campus (50 students and 15 faculty/staff).

This credential certifies your "general knowledge of green building practices and how to support others working on LEED projects. The exam is ideal for those newer to sustainability and LEED.” 

LEED and UWEC

UWEC will offer training & exam waivers for the introductory LEED Green Associate credential in partnership with the company Leading Green, who will provide live webinars, recorded webinars, study materials, and practice exams designed to teach UWEC faculty, staff, and students the content they need to know to pass the entry level LEED Green Associate credential exam. The Student Office of Sustainability has funded all student exams, and the Division of Finance and Administration is sponsoring all faculty exam costs, ensuring that all participants can become certified for free.

This not-for-credit online training takes approximately 4.5 hours to complete, plus study time, which will vary. Individuals who sign up for the training will be required to attend a virtual training session. The LEED Green Associate Exam is a 1-2 hour proctored exam created by the US Green Building Council. There are both remote and in-person exam opportunities. Please find more information below.

Why take LEED training?

Credentialing is an excellent resume-builder for current students and a professional development opportunity for faculty and staff who wish to build core competencies in sustainable building design. This skillset is widely sought after in business, government, non-profits, and higher education. 

Faculty and Staff who become credentialed will bring their new sustainability knowledge into projects across campus. Students also have the opportunity to enroll in Building Sustainability at the Academy (ENV 395), which investigates the County Materials Complex project — UWEC’s first attempt to attain LEED certification on a new construction project.

Fall 2023 training schedule:

• February 10 2024 – 1:00PM – 5:30PM EST
• March 9 2024 – 1:00PM – 5:30PM EST
• April 13 2024 – 1:00PM – 5:30PM EDT
• May 11 2024 – 1:00PM – 5:30PM EDT      
• On-demand recordings completed at your own pace

Register for LEED Green AP Training

Once registered, you will receive outreach via email from Leading Green, the company conducting remote training. 

Exam information

Currently, the Administrative Office of Sustainability and the Student Office of Sustainability are working to provide exam waivers, which will become available before the end of fall semester 2022. This process will ensure you will pay $0 for your credential. 

The exam is not given by Leading Green, who provided the training detailed above. The exam is run by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), who also administers the LEED Building Certification Process. To register for the exam:

1. Register and complete the training with Leading Green.
2. Create an account with the US Green Building Council. We suggest using your personal email so you can access this platform after you graduate or leave UWEC. 
3. Watch for follow up communication from the Administrative Office of Sustainability (sustainability@uwec.edu) or email us directly once you have an account created.
4. The Administrative Office of Sustainability will send in your name, email, status (student or non-student) and account information to the USGBC, who then attaches a promo code to your account, allowing you to register for free.
5. Once USGBC provides you a promo code you must register for the exam on the USGBC website.
6. Once you complete the registration process you have 1 year to take the exam, which is proctored online or in person through Prometric Test Center.

Register for USGB Account & Exam

Once credentialed, participants must complete 15 hours of continuing education every 2 years to maintain their credential. The US Green Building Council offers free webinars which meet this continuing education requirement regularly.