10 Free and Fast LEED CMP Options

The LEED credential maintenance program (CMP) is a "must do" for all LEED professionals who want to stay in good standing with their accreditation. However, over the years we've noticed that most LEED professionals fall into one of two camps:

1) Those who have to pay for their credential maintenance themselves, or
2) Those who have LEED CMP taken care of by their company (such as in the case of Platinum USGBC corporate sponsorship)

Regardless being a busy professional it can be a dreaded task of begrudgingly sitting through hours of online video. So why not mix it up a bit with some fast alternatives, or at least get things for free if you otherwise wouldn't.

The Online LEED CMP "Trifecta"

You ways you can earn CE hours – from authorship of relevant green building articles to volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity or a local USGBC chapter - are too numerous to mention. That said, many folks just "default" to online video courses when one of the most straightforward ways to complete 15 CE hours (the full requirement for LEED Green Associates) is to simply do work on a LEED project!

Indeed, the "Fast 15 Pack" is the ultimate trifecta of continuing education fulfillment, LEED AP exam preparation and professional training.

You'll not only complete all your CEUs in as little as 1/3 the time of alternative methods, but also you'll gain insight into the application of LEED credits that are found on almost any LEED project.

With GreenStep founder Alex Spilger as your guide, you’ll not only complete the full LEED CMP requirements in as few as five hours, but you’ll also be simultaneously prepping for the in-exam project experience requirement in the LEED v4 AP exam as well. Because we truly believe in the value of CMP for green building professionals, we don’t burden you with resources that further complicate your learning... The videos and accompanying “Project Assignments” we’ve created are straightforward, efficient, and easy to understand.

Whether for BD+C, ID+C, O+M or ND, the credit calculations for your next project will be a no brainer with the "Fast 15" under your belt.

Free LEED CE Hours through Article Authorship

A terrific and free way to fulfill LEED continuing education in our increasingly online world is through authorship.

By researching and submitting original articles on green building, you'll earn 3 CEUs per published article and help others learn about LEED on Poplar Network and elsewhere online... and there is no limit to the number of articles you can submit for publication. You may even find your article chosen for inclusion in our newsletter where it may reach over 15,000 people interested in LEED and green building! Wow!

Matthew Higgins, a LEED Green Associate and recent contributor, said, "Publishing articles on Poplar is a great experience because it keeps me up to date with the latest LEED standards, earns me recognition within the green building community and helps me fulfill my CE hours for free!"

Articles must be 100% original, related to green building and LEED and not published elsewhere online. To submit an article fill out the form on this page.

Free Online LEED CE Course:

Poplar offers a range of free LEED CE courses published by experts. Thousands of green building professionals rely on us to learn about everything from life cycle analysis to green data centers each month. Take advantage of these free courses whenever you like.

Free Environmental Product Declaration, Life-Cycle Analysis and LEED v4 Course

$15-20 billion per year is a lot of green building marketing. Since "green" doesn't mean just one thing, manufacturers of sustainable building products are faced with a lot of confusion. With LEED v4, the newest version of LEED, environmental product declarations (aka EPDs) and Life Cycle Analyses or Assessments (LCAs) are taking a larger role in the LEED building certification process. If you sell into the LEED project design and development market, learn how this impacts your business with this free course.

Category: MR
Length: 70 Minutes
CEHours: 1

Online LEED and Green Building Courses:

Net Zero Buildings

Buildings are currently the biggest energy consumers and carbon producers in the U.S. Because Net Zero buildings produce as much energy as they consume, such projects are a potentially exciting and sustainable solution to the problem of building energy waste and/or inefficiency. This course is designed for professionals who want to learn the basics of NetZero building. This course fulfills 1.5 Continuing Education Credit Hours for LEED CMP.

Category: Energy and Atmosphere

Length: 90 minutes

CE Hours: 1.5

Health and Physical Activity in Green Buildings

Physically active indoor and outdoor environments can bring health and wellness to occupants and help them avoid chronic diseases. This course will examine the current obesity epidemic and health challenges in the United States, as well as initiatives to address growing problems associated with office work and increasingly sedentary behavior. The course will explain the synergies of cost, sustainability, universal design, and LEED.

Category: LT/SS
Length: 90 Minutes
CEHours: 1.5

Energy Efficient HVAC Strategies

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems typically make up about 40% of a building’s energy use. As such, energy efficient HVAC systems are essential to green building development and operations, because such systems have the potential to not only reduce carbon production, but also save a lot of money over time. This course is designed for current and/or aspiring green building professionals who want to learn the basics of high-performance HVAC and how to make conventional HVAC systems more energy efficient.

Category: EA
Length: 90 Minutes
CEHours: 1.5

Passive Building Strategies Course

Buildings are arguably the greatest energy consumers and carbon emitters in the United States, and HVAC is the biggest energy user in buildings. Passive buildings are designed to heat and cool themselves without the use of mechanical systems. To be labeled as "passive", a building must comply with the Passive House Standard, a highly efficient style of architectural design that aims to leverage natural resources such as abundant, free solar energy, geothermal heating and/or cooling, intelligent ventilation and building envelope systems. Learn about passive buildings in this free online course.

Category: EA
Length: 90 Minutes
CEHours: 1.5

Advanced Energy Efficient HVAC Course

“Advanced Energy Efficient HVAC” will discuss how energy efficient HVAC technologies can help to achieve various credits in the LEED rating systems. It includes real world case studies, including the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences' chilled beams system and Pacific University's VAV system.

Category: EA
Length: 90 Minutes
CEHours: 1.5

Green Data Centers Course

Data centers not only massive consumers of energy, and in some cases, water. Indeed, some data centers can consume as much energy as a small town. Data centers are also increasingly in demand to house and serve our need for storage, management and dissemination of our data. For these reasons, green data centers, those that are designed to maximize energy and water efficiency with minimal environmental impact are a growing specialty area of green building.

Category: NA
Length: 60 Minutes
CEHours: 1

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***Thank you to all of our members who took our survey on LEED consulting (the 10th "Free" option)...! We are no longer offering a free course for taking this survey.