Obama passed!

President Obama passed his LEED AP test on Wednesday! He is the very first president of any country to become accredited. Now this probably doesn’t mean much to you if you are not in the “construction world”, but I’ll tell you why it’s so cool. An organization called the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has a point rated system for construction projects to become LEED certified buildings. This means, that the buildings are more energy efficient and “green” after completion. Things like using china instead of paper plates in the cafeteria, recycling rain water for landscaping, installing waterless urinals and recycling of construction waste during construction are just a few examples.

Now you may be asking yourself why would he want to become a LEED Accredited Professional when it’s typically for people in the Construction Industry? Well here is what President Obama had to say:

"Becoming a LEED AP is one of the proudest accomplishments of my life" said President Obama. "I decided that now was the time to get my AP, especially in light of the upcoming changes to USGBC's credentialing system... Green building is right for our economy, right for our health care system, and right for our future. LEED points the way towards the development of truly regenerative and sustainable communities, and now that I have my AP, I'm confident that I'm prepared for the job of rebuilding our country",


And who do we have to thank for our President going the extra mile? His daughter Malia! Sasha and Malia attend the Sidwell School which is a LEED Platinum Certified building. That’s impressive all in itself considering that it is the highest rating a building can receive and it’s the first ever school to become LEED Platinum Certified. But what’s really cool is that the school is actually teaching the children about the LEED system and it’s requirements. These kids are growing up learning about our environment and things that we can do as a nation to sustain Mother Earth. Malia even registered her Dad for the test by herself online.

The LEED AP test is not an easy one. Most people study for many weeks and even months before taking the test and many of them do not pass on the first try. I find it very impressive that he found time in his extremely busy schedule to study and prepare and even pass on his first try and also the fact that he found this to be important enough to achieve.

If you want to learn more about the USGBC and the LEED Accreditation system, visit their website at:
www.usgbc.org