The City is going green

The City of Miami is hosting classes at Miami Green Lab (MGL) starting today, September 9, for the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate (GA) Certification.  Participants will learn about the LEED rating system and sustainable building concepts and, upon completion, will be prepared to take the Green Associate exam.  The class is already full with 57 participants including 10) City of Miami staff members already signed up.

This training is funded by a federal grant from the Department of Labor obtained by the Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC) of South Florida which has partnered with the South Florida Chapter of the US Green Building Council to provide this training. 

MGL, a green building resource center located at 151 NW 27 Avenue, houses the City of Miami's Office of Sustainable Initiatives and its local NET office. MGL is a former fire station renovated to achieve a LEED Gold status with features that include a rainwater cistern, permeable pavement, solar hot water panels, programmable thermostats, and LED lighting. MGL hosts training and educational programs related to green building and sustainability.

The Miami Office of Sustainable Initiatives coordinates the City's environmental programs to ensure the City of Miami becomes a model for environmental best practices.  MSI also manages implementation of the City's Climate Action plan.  Highlights of these efforts include energy retrofits of City buildings resulting in savings of over $200,000 per year; tree plantings, distributing over 6,000 trees in the last five (5) years; and launching of the Green Corridor Property Assessed Clean Energy program to increase energy efficiency among City businesses.

For more information contact the Office of Sustainable Initiatives at 305-960-5192.