Extension approved to provide green building education
Date: 2010-04-28
Contact: Amy Wallace
Phone: (714) 573-0899, ext. 234
Email: Amy@echomediapr.com
IRVINE — The University of California, Irvine Extension announced on Monday (April 26) that it has been approved as a U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Provider. The USGBC has reviewed and approved the technical and instructional quality of 10 UC Irvine Extension Sustainability courses. As an Education Provider, UC Irvine Extension's high-quality education programs will help to enhance the ongoing professional development of the building industry and LEED professionals. UC Irvine's courses are approved by USGBC for GBCI CE Hours towards the LEED Credential Maintenance Program.

"Green initiatives and sustainability jobs will only continue to grow during the next few years," said Kirwan Rockefeller, director of Sustainability Leadership at UC Irvine Extension. "We felt it was imperative to develop high-quality courses that will help this industry and its professionals flourish. The USGBC designation marks a very exciting time for UC Irvine's Sustainability programs and its students."

To receive the USGBC Education Provider designation, UC Irvine Extension submitted coursework, detailed information about its sustainability certificate programs and an overview of its instructional guidelines to the USGBC. Upon completion of the rigorous review process, UC Irvine Extension has received approval for a total of 10 sustainability courses, including:

  • Introduction to Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability & Green Business
  • Legal Developments Concerning the Environment & Climate Change
  • Framework for Strategic Vision
  • Climate Protection & Environmental Sustainability: The Business of Mitigating Change
  • Green Supply Chain
  • Sustainability Reporting: Drivers, Protocols & Quantitative Methods
  • Energy Retrofits: Saving Energy in Existing Buildings
  • The Future of Energy: Cleantech
  • Transforming the Built Environment: EBOM Principles
  • Sustainable Practices in Senior Housing: The Boom of Our Aging

"We are very proud to list UC Irvine Extension as an Education Provider," said Ryan Snow, manager of education review systems at the USGBC. "The institution has created a robust line-up of green building education that target professionals seeking to enrich their knowledge of green building theories, techniques and business trends"

To learn more about UC Irvine's Sustainability Leadership Certificate Program, visit www.extension.uci.edu. To register for courses, call (949) 824-5414 or e-mail sustainability@uci.edu.

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 80 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 140,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

As UC Irvine's continuing education arm, UC Irvine Extension is dedicated to providing a university-level learning experience for students, offering thousands of exciting courses and programs to local, regional, and global constituencies via online curriculum as well as through on campus classes. UC Irvine Extension offers a rich array of academic and community programs to support a diverse audience, from a wide selection of academic programs to numerous campus activities. On Facebook: www.facebook.com/UCIExtension.

The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more news, visit www.today.uci.edu.