Sustainable Furnishings Council program now counts for LEED CEU credits

Heath E. Combs (Furniture/Today) -- Casual Living, 11/11/2011 9:26:00 AM

The Sustainable Furnishings Council says its GREENleaders program will now be included in the curricula of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, program.

LEED, an internationally recognized certification system, promotes sustainable building and development with strict rating systems and a curriculum.

The SFC program will now be available for CEU credits to all LEED Green Associates and LEED Accredited Professionals who are required to take continuing education courses to maintain their credentials, said Susan Inglis, SFC executive director.

"Our GREENleaders class will now reach a larger audience and has been recognized by a larger body as valuable for that larger audience," Inglis said.

While most of the LEED education programs focus on the building, GREENleaders focuses on furnishing the interior. The program covers topics including environmental issues, sourcing products and components, design issues and showroom operations.

The sustainability training course, which counts for six CEU credits, was created in 2009.

The five-year-old SFC said in a press release that nearly 600 home furnishing professionals have enrolled in the GREENleaders program.