Interested in joining the green economy, but not sure how to take the first step? CleanEdison offers a range of credential and certification courses for those who are seeking to gain some knowledge and certify their expertise in green to potential employers, partners, and clients.

Green training is the best way out there to update yourself and your business for the challenges of the 21st century. Individuals, businesses, non-profit groups, and the government are all recognizing the value in green - and not only to feel good about making the planet more sustainable in the long term, but to actually save money in the short term. Green saves green.

Whether you're a builder looking to re-energize your business, an electrician or roofer wanting to get into solar PV installation, or a business person who just wants to understand how these things work so that you can manage, sell, or finance green projects, a short form training is going to get you on the right path.

Former General Electric CEO, Jack Welch, said: “From a business standpoint, you’ve got a consumer now who thinks they’ve got to do it and they’re on board. Everyone believes it’s going to happen OK? If I’m running a business, I want to be sure I’m green as can be.”

The variety of green courses out there can be a bit bewildering, and the market is still making a lot of changes as the technology and standards continue to evolve. If you’re going to spend time and money taking a green course, we recommend sticking to one that carries an industry credential along with it. These primary, industry-accepted credentials are explained in the above video.

CleanEdison also offers a Green 101 course, which will give you a much more in depth overview of what green means, the challenges and opportunities around it, and why it's important today, if you'd like to take a closer look at the underlying issues.

Ready to get started?

Green Credentials:

LEED Professional: The US Green Building Council created this widely-accepted professional credentialing program for those involved in any aspect of the building trade, including not only engineers, architects, contractors, and project managers, but realtors, lawyers, appraisers, utility workers. Get started with LEED.

BPI trainings: The Building Performance Institute, BPI, has hands-on skill-building training for residential retrofitters, energy auditors, and weatherization experts. BPI is a standards setter for training, and has been explicitly mentioned in federal, state, and municipal incentive programs. There are many local training programs that are based on the BPI standards. Get started with BPI.

RESNET HERS trainings: The RESNET program, which covers the same sector as the BPI certifications, not only offers certifications for being able to conduct energy audits and analyze buildings, but also wants to help you set up a home rating business. Get started with RESNET.

NABCEP: the North American Board of Certified Energy Practictioners offers certification for installers of solar projects, both photovoltaic and solar thermal, and is developing a program for Small Wind. Get started with solar.

IGSHPA: The International Ground Source Heat Pump Association, based at Oklahoma State, has set the standards for installation and design of ground source heat pumps. The IGSHPA training usually includes fusion certification as well as the IGSHPA certificate upon successfully passing the exam. Get started with geothermal.