Last night, Janice and  I had the pleasure of attending an Alumni party hosted by Earth Advantage at EcoHaus in Portland, Oregon. The event was for graduates of Earth Advantage's Sustainability Training for Accredited Real Estate Professionals. (S.T.A.R.)

Sean Penrith, the Executive Director of Earth Advantage addressed the group of approximately 40 alumni with a talk about the future of sustainable building in the area.

Two notable projects that they are working on are the Energy Performance Score program and Earth Advantage's new Sustainable Homes Professional Training.

The Energy Performance Score (EPS) program is designed to test individual homes and assign a performance score to them. Penrith describes it as being similar to the miles per gallon sticker on a new car; it will reflect the energy efficiency rating of the home as a whole.


The Sustainable Homes Professional Training is a new rigorous 6 month course designed to impart a deep level of knowledge and understanding regarding sustainable building practices and implementation. The course includes monthly classroom instruction, field studies, and on-site practicum, and final exam. The course is designed for building professionals including appraisers, architects, builders, consultants, designers, developers, inspectors, realtors, and emerging building industry professionals. The course is equivalent to a 400-level master class and may satisfy continuing education credits for various professionals. The first class will be starting late September of this year.