Por que, Brutae?

Hi. I'm Joel. I'm a LEED AP. The first thing I learned when after I earned my LEED accreditation is how much I still didn't know. There's plenty of information out there on how to design sustainably, but precious little info on how to get your documentation done. Sure, I know I need to know the full time equivalent occupancy for my restaurant and also the peak loading, but how the hell do I get those numbers? This blog is an attempt to fill that void. I've previously posted questions on the 4specs.com discussion forum (highly recommended), the designcommunity.com "LEED and Green Certification Forum" (less helpful but still worth the time), and the USGBC's own Member to Member exchange (a surprising waste of time, though it looks like it's getting more use these days). The first few posts in this blog will likely be familiar to those who frequent these forums. I've taught LEED AP classes at our firm and with local EGB groups, and also given presentations on managing LEED documentation and materials selection. In no way would I ever claim that I'm an expert, but I feel like I can help with some of the problems I've encountered in the past. Please use the comment features to add your experience, call me an idiot, etc. I'm not a consultant, and so please don't try to hire me! I'm very happy with my current job as a researcher at a great architecture firm, and don't plan on leaving any time soon. I just want to provide a forum for those of us tasked with actually certifying buildings to get things done.