Greentech Enhanced Certificate Online

SP 0003 Creating Sustainable Commercial Offices

Students will learn how to create a highly sustainable office by using industry recognized sustainable considerations, lean construction practices, and cost effective product solutions that will improve the bottom line of any business. By adhering to strict audit principles students will learn how to measure cost effectiveness to sustainable solutions to prove that green solutions can and will benefit the environment as well as benefit the business. Students will: develop a decision matrix, learn energy management systems, understand how a focus on flexibility allows change to occur for less money in less time, understand how a recycling focus ensures less waste will occur, and become skilled at costing out all future purchases which will have smaller impact on the environment.

SP 0005 Global Sustainability and Future Trends

Global Sustainability and Future Trends is intended to provide you with the tools to identify and assess major environmental issues, and the laws, regulations, policies, and technologies – both here in the United States and abroad – that are in place to reduce negative environmental impacts to the planet. Throughout the course, we will explore the driving forces behind the sustainability movement, and how, in many cases, passionate individuals were the catalysts for major change for a healthier environment. The course project has been designed to provide an opportunity for students to showcase what they have learned by applying new knowledge to identify, analyze, and make recommendations for solving an environmental concern in your community or beyond.

SP 0002 Integrated Practices for Residential Buildings

Students will learn high performance design, construction and retrofit strategies for single family homes and multifamily residential buildings. Evaluating which green strategies best align with a project’s goals, as well as the associated cost and benefit will be a key area of focus. Topics include: existing home assessments, whole-building design approach, indoor air quality materials, waste management sustainable sites, trades training, green contractor selection, occupant education and related tax incentives. We will also discuss current market trends and the market value of green features. Students are invited to conceptually apply these concepts to their own project throughout the course.

SP 0004 Strategies for Creating and Maintaining a Green Facility

The goal of facilities management is to maintain the safest and most productive work environment for employees and clients. As corporate leadership has become aware of the value of sustainability to business practices, sustainability has also become a critical component of facilities management operations. The facility manager must maintain a focus on productivity, profitability, and the bottom-line while incorporating sustainable practices in the operations and maintenance of a facility. Learn to consider corporate, economic, and environmental factors to create and manage a green facility. Learn how to assess current practices within the operation and develop a plan to produce results that are direct, measurable, and driven to the bottom-line through lower operating costs, higher productivity, and reduced risk.

SP 0006 The Taxonomy of Cleantech

Cleantech is new technology and related business models that offer competitive returns for investors and customers while providing solutions to global challenges. Cleantech represents a diverse range of products, services, and processes, all intended to provide superior performance at lower costs, while greatly reducing or eliminating negative ecological impact, at the same time as improving the productive and responsible use of natural resources. The course offers students an opportunity to apply the cleantech taxonomy to their organization and help them better understand where their organizations ‘fit in’ and also identify potential market and growth opportunities. Students will also have an opportunity to listen and interact with cleantech guest speakers in sectors such as biofuel, renewable energy and smart grid technologies.