KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 12, 2017

The U.S. Green Building Council is dedicated to preparing students for 21st century careers in sustainability by delivering competency-based education and providing innovative solutions to build the next generation of sustainability leaders. In fact, according to USGBC.com, college students are currently seeking jobs in sustainability at a rapidly increasing rate. Consider the following: 

• More than 70 percent of college students and 50 percent of workers are looking for jobs with social impact.*
• By 2038, the United States will generate 4.2 million new green jobs, five times today’s total count.*
• As many as 80 percent of young professionals would like to work in a green job.*
• 61% of prospective college students said having information about a school’s commitment to the
• environment would influence their decision to apply to or attend a school.*

In order to provide students with the education and experience they need to best prepare for careers in sustainability, the Center for Green Schools at USGBC created LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Lab. Students involved in the LEED Lab pursue the assessment of on-campus building(s) and culminate their studies with the submittal of actual certification documents, allowing the campus building to become certified and recognized for greater environmental performance.  The result of the lab is a more informed and experienced graduate with experience in the built sciences and an improved campus environment with healthier buildings and sites for everyone.

KSU's LEED Lab Challenge
In Georgia, the passage of House Bill 255 prohibits any publicly funded building to pursue LEED performance ratings. Although the bill perhaps did not intend to impact curriculum and teaching in public universities, the collateral damage undeniably includes one of the most inventive and effective sustainable teaching programs in the nation, the LEED Lab. Authored by USGBC, the LEED Lab engages students with dynamic, real-world, learning opportunities based upon the LEED rating system. 

Luckily for KSU College of Architecture and Construction Management students, they have the innovative and determined minds of professors Ed Akins (Architecture) and Brandi Williams (Construction Management). Since Bill 255 prohibits seeking LEED certification on the publicly funded KSU campus, professors Akins and Williams came up with the brilliant idea of creating a LEED Lab for KSU students that would allow them to work with a building off-campus. They reached out to Susan Kidd, Executive Director of the Center for Sustainability at Agnes Scott College (ASC), a privately funded college in Decatur, Georgia, to initiate a partnership that would allow KSU students the opportunity to participate in LEED Lab at an alternative location.

For additional information on the partnership and how it benefits both KSU and Agnes Scott College, please refer to Professor Akins article here.

From a Student's Perspective 
"As a student, the LEED Lab is such an enriching experience. After taking this course, I have a clearer understanding of the certification process for LEED EBOM, and I am also engaged in learning more about LEED and pursuing personal accreditation. Being able to combine the requirements LEED establishes for each credit with the physical and financial constraints of an existing building was very productive to apply what we learned in the classroom in a real-life setting. I hope more and more students have access to the LEED Lab, and that this opportunity can motivate them to explore sustainable practices."

- Karlla Dreser, LEED Lab program student