Education

Education and training are the foundation that Greenspace and its partners rely upon for growing the capacity of professionals to take on green jobs. To build green housing, schools, commercial and institutional buildings require people with the skills and knowledge that have a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and math. The investments we are making in green products, policies and practices are transforming our marketplace to one that delivers economic, environmental and community benefits. Our education and training programs have included:

• Interactive trainings, led by expert green practitioners
• Hands-on workshops targeting small and minority contractors whose skills and knowledge are essential to successful green projects
• "Lessons learned" workshops for professionals to talk about what made their green projects work
• Capacity building efforts supporting the development of skills and understanding in support of the design, construction, retrofit and operations of green buildings for government and line staff responsible for the implementation and oversight of these activities
• Development of curricula

GreenHOME/Greenspace delivers an extensive program of trainings and related offerings that supported developers, designers, builders, and policy makers in the skills and knowledge required to improve performance and the greening of buildings independently and with our partners. Our 2009 training programs engaged 430 participants in hands-on learning, integrated design, affordable green approaches and building science fundamentals.

• As Greenspace moves forward we will focus on providing Classroom education and hands-on training for professionals on design, construction and operations that support green communities
• Project-based technical assistance
• Development of Greenspace itself will be used as an educational experience
• Public forums and interactive exhibits presenting building science fundamentals, principles of sustainable design, and inspirational case studies A resource library housing samples of materials, products, and systems
• A tool lending library making available specialized equipment to improve energy efficiency Library and online resources for green products and DC metro service providers
• Green product demonstrations and vendor showcases
• Expert in residence program - placing experienced practitioners in government departments to serve as resident experts