LEED India to usher in green building revolution

More than 100,000 professionals in USA and about 10,000 in Canada have now attained the LEED AP certification. The number of USGBC registered LEED projects are skyrocketing and we receive daily updates on Twitter about new certifications awarded to facilities around the globe. The green building economy is taking off surely. As Rick Federrizi, chairman of USGBC pointed out in GreenBuild conference, we can create jobs as well as reach sustainability goals by making the commitment to green development for all new construction as well as existing buildings operation and maintenance. The green building economy is expected to reach between $100B-140B by year 2013. It is in the burgeoning industry where the American President pins his hopes for a bottom up economic recovery.

India is also starting to ride this wave, and clearly can be a large market, especially for LEED EB O&M projects. While the major service providers have so far worked with USGBC for green certification, The India Green Building Council (IGBC) has been offering its own LEED India program. Similar to the LEED GA, professionals will need to pass an exam regulated by IGBC (www.igbc.in). The exam requires a knowledge of all major green building areas, like as Sustainable Sites, Light Pollution Reduction, Energy and Atmosphere, Ozone Depletion, Green Power etc. Over the next few years, we should see a meteoric increase in the number of IGBC and USGBC LEED graduates in India, as demand for sustainable construction becomes mandated through regulations. In USA, for example, certain states and even populous counties have developed laws that commercial or large rental buildings must attain a minimum of LEED Silver certification.

A number of firms in US provide educational products for LEED Exams. Currently, GreenExcel (www.greenexcelinc.com) is one of the few companies offering online exam prep material for the IGBC LEED exam. It also offers practice exams for all USGBC LEED Certifications and LEED Canada.

Much like the IT boom in the nineties, India should look at the sustainability not just as a civic responsibility but as a new wave of opportunity for economic revitalization across the nation.