Turning the U.S. green is not an easy or quick task. Around any new large-scale culture change will grow a vast bureaucracy of legislation, rules, guidelines, parameters and recommendations. New regulatory bodies will spring up to provide checks and balances for the emerging industries spawned in the Green Torrent. “Cred” in these industries will be recognized by completion and/or membership in a myriad of certification and credentialing bodies.

Conservation and renewable-energy programs have existed in the United States since the time of Teddy Roosevelt, and throughout the world there has been a groundswell of activity in the credentialing and regulatory area. There exist many recognized authorities that deal with credentialing, labeling and certification; among the leaders are:

• Green Building Certification Institute, the accreditation arm of the U.S. Green Building Council, that support its LEED Green Building Rating Systems, which have established benchmarks for energy-efficient new building construction, retrofitting of existing buildings, interior design, school building, and many other categories of building.
• BREEAM, Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, the UK’s primary green-building certification process. Offers building certification programs as well as credentialing for home energy assessors.