GBCI launches first LEED Lab
GBCI India (Green Business Certification Inc.), the organization that certifies all LEED green building projects worldwide, joined hands with Amity University, Haryana (AUH) to launch the first ever LEED Lab in North India. LEED Lab is a multidisciplinary immersion course that utilizes the built environment to educate and prepare students to become green building leaders with a focus on sustainability.

Amity University being a leader in education has expanded his vision towards the sustainable and green building design and construction. Amity approach of education is to prepare students for 21st century careers by delivering competency-based education and innovative solutions by preparing a syllabus and curriculum based on the industry

The LEED Lab course will help students assess the performance of existing facilities on campus and choose one building where they will facilitate the LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance (LEED O+M) rating system with the goal of certifying the facility. Students undertake the complete certification process and are responsible for leading all documentation and lastly submitting the project to GBCI for review. At the close of the semester, the students are well equipped to take the LEED AP O+M professional credential exam. Students can walk away with a highly marketable professional credential that signifies their green building experience and knowledge.

“To create a more sustainable world for all, we must arm today’s students with the knowledge and skills needed to affect real change. These are our future leaders and they hold the power to change the world for the better,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, President and CEO, U.S. Green Building Council and Green Business Certification Inc. “The course meets the demands of the industry by equipping students with career-ready skills and knowledge that can be quickly deployed upon graduation. Higher education institutions, like Amity University, provide an engaging environment that give students first-hand experience integrating sustainable practices into daily campus operations and maintenance using LEED.”

Prof (Dr.) Padmakali Banerjee, Pro Vice Chancellor, Amity University Haryana said, “It's a great initiative to cater the upcoming industry need of Green building through an education module. Way forward University has taken this step to add LEED LAB in curriculum under choice based credit system to ensure it's contribution towards sustainability.”

Prof (Dr.) P B Sharma, President – AIU and Vice Chancellor Amity University Haryana said that, “We should care about the knowledge of the students, and teach them why caring about the environment is important as they are the future of the country. LEED LAB is a great addition to our course and very useful for the students to learn about the green building concept.

Currently, there are nearly 8,000 higher education projects participating in LEED globally, comprising more than 741.73 million square feet of space. LEED Lab officially launched in 2014 and is now offered in post-secondary institutions in India, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Taiwan, Italy, Guatemala and the U.S. with more in the pipeline.