| WASHINGTON -- The Certified Green Professional educational program reached another milestone this week as the number of industry leaders who had achieved their CGP designation grew to 1,500.
Ralph Pagnucco Jr., a builder and remodeler in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is the 1,500th designee, announced Ray Tonjes, chair of the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Subcommittee.
The CGP designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who understand how to incorporate green building principles into homes and provide green-building expertise for consumers.
The designation is part of the NAHB National Green Building Program, which also includes a green home verification and certification service provided through the NAHB Research Center. So far, 69 homes have received National Green Building Certification with another 160 awaiting inspection.
To qualify for the individual designation, applicants must complete 24 hours of green building and business management instruction, have two years' industry experience, commit to continuing education requirements and sign the CGP code of ethics.
"The CGP designation helps assure home buyers that their builder or remodeler can help them negotiate the path to a green-built home - as green as the home buyer wants it to be," Tonjes said. Designers, bankers, home sales agents and other industry professionals can also bring additional value to their clients with the CGP designation, he added.
Pagnucco said the classes he took to complete the CGP designation have helped him become a better informed green builder - and stand out from the competition. He's incorporating more green remodeling practices into his business, including upgraded insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, and conducting cost analyses on heating and cooling equipment to help his customers determine how much money they may save with a more energy-efficient unit.
Next week, Pagnucco's company will submit its first new single-family home for green certification from GreenBuilt Michigan, an affiliate of the NAHB National Green Building Program. All of the company's homes will be green certified from now on, Pagnucco said.
"We're trying to be the best green builders we can be," he said.
Consumers can find Certified Green Professionals in their home states by using the Builder and Remodeler Designation Directory at www.nahb.org. Learn more about the NAHB National Green Building Program at www.nahbgreen.org.
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