The perceived value of green professional credentials to credential holders in the US building design and construction community

The popularity of green construction professional credentials has increased dramatically in recent years in the United States and abroad, due in part to the mainstream development of sustainable construction in the building design and construction community. The aim was to compare the perceived value of three broad-spectrum green building professional credentials currently available in the North American construction market: Green Globes Professional, LEED Green Associate and Green Advantage Certified Practitioner. Perceived professional and personal value derived from holding credentials, including but not limited to impacts on compensation, promotion, education, industry recognition and self-confidence, were evaluated for a sample of credential holders using an online survey instrument. Invitations were successfully delivered to 6670 certified and non-certified design and construction professionals. Of those surveyed, 730 responded to the Qualtrics survey. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to detect significant differences between the reported perceptions of different credential holders. The results revealed that Green Globes Professionals and LEED Green Associates agree more strongly than Green Advantage Certified Practitioners that earning their credentials resulted in positive professional and personal impacts. No significant differences between the perceptions of Green Globes Professionals and LEED Green Associates were identified.