(Seattle, WA) May 14, 2008 – As green building trends upward, how will you distinguish yourself? The Cascadia Region Green Building Council ( www.cascadiagbc.org/lbl ) launches the Living Building Leader program( www.cascadiagbc.org/ ) as a way to develop new knowledge and skills to build greener and smarter. Living Building Leader is a series of interactive, web-based sessions for building professionals interested in designing and constructing the next-generation building – the Living Building. Living Buildings are designed to function like a living organism, generating their own energy, capturing and treating their water, and having zero impact on the earth and its resources. There are currently more than 50 Living Building projects in the design or construction phase throughout North America.

According to a recent report by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation( www.cec.org/pubs_docs/documents/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=2242 ), green building is the fastest and cheapest way to lower North America’s contribution to global climate change. “The intent of the Living Building Leader program is to impart skills and knowledge where they’re most needed to effect transformative change in the way we design, build and operate our buildings,” says Thor Peterson, Research Director at Cascadia. The Living Building Leader program is not for the green building neophyte; it is geared toward architects, contractors, developers, engineers, and other design professionals with technical knowledge and experience in designing and constructing high-performance green buildings.

Living Building Leader sessions – 36 in all – are arranged in “petals”, mirroring the structure of Cascadia’s Living Building Challenge( www.cascadiagbc.org/lbc ). The eLearning format allows for global participation in the program, while fostering an environment of collaboration and communication between industry professionals with chat functionality and application sharing. Top green building experts will lead the sessions, providing access to the latest information and knowledge on how to achieve sustainability in the built environment. The Living Building Leader program launches on June 4th with a session led by Jason F. McLennan, CEO of Cascadia, about the importance of spirit and meaning in the design of buildings. This session is being offered at a discounted rate of $45. All sessions are three hours long and occur on Wednesdays throughout the year from 9:00am to noon (PST). A combination of successful completion of sessions, exams and professional experience allows an individual to earn designation as a Living Building Leader. Cascadia will also be offering continuing education credits from a variety of professional organizations to participants.

For more information and to register, please visit www.livingbuildingleader.org.