Designating LEED in Your Email Signature

Recently, I have been getting many questions about how you should indicate your LEED AP credentials in your email signature or on your business cards. Thankfully, GBCI has recently provided a little bit of clarity to this issue, so I can confidently tell you that below is the correct format for the many LEED credentials (until they change their mind).

LEED AP (original LEED AP, before LEED AP+ was introduced): Joe Smith, LEED AP

LEED Green Associate: Tom Jones, LEED Green Associate or Tom Jones, LEED Green Assoc.  (Sorry folks- LEED GA is NOT acceptable!)

LEED AP+ Green Building Design and Construction: Mary Butler, LEED AP BD+C

LEED AP+ Green Interior Design and Construction: Susan King, LEED AP ID+C

LEED AP+ Green Building Operations and Maintenance: Barry Knight, LEED AP O+M

LEED AP+ Homes: Rebecca Davis, LEED AP Homes (LEED H is not acceptable!)

LEED AP+ Green Neighborhood Development: Samantha Brown, LEED AP ND

Multiple LEED AP+ Credentials: Bob Clark, LEED AP BD+C, ID+C, Homes

Other Notes:

  • You do not have to use the “registered” symbol after LEED in an email signature or on a business card
  • You can also use the corresponding professional credential logo on your email or cards, but you do not have to
  • The AP+ credential abbreviations such as BD+C and ID+C use a “+” symbol. A “&” symbol is not acceptable

Hopefully everything is clear as mud now…

18 thoughts on “Designating LEED in Your Email Signature”

  1. Allison,

    Most likely the reason GA cannot be used is due the fact that there was a GA professional accredidation already in use, from Green Advantage. Green Advantage is a professional organization that, although not affiliated with USGBC, supports and teaches LEED methodology as part of their overall green program.

    Green Advantage teaches basic green strategies for entry level users, field supers, project managers, company management, architects and engineers, real estate agents, etc.. IMO, USGBC used the Green Advantage program as the basis for it’s Green Associate model.

    I became a GA before I earned my LEED AP accredidation by taking Green Advantage classes coordinated thru the efforts of Sanyog Rathod of our regional USGBC chapter.

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    1. That was my thought as well when I first saw that they are not allowing “LEED GA”. I became aware of Green Advantage a few years back because, for some reason that I have still not completely figured out, it became a very popular credential for construction firms in this region. I just think it’s a little crazy to make people spell out “Green Associate” or “Green Assoc.” on something as small as a business card!

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  3. Just thought I would mention that the first designation says “LEEP” not “LEED”…

    How did I come across this? After passing them out for half a year it was pointed out that my business card says LEEP AP (had to order new ones) so I was wondering how common this typo occurs on professional bsuiness cards and websites… I fell across your blog post and thought I’d drop a line 🙂 LOL

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    1. Pam- I don’t think there’s a real hard and fast rule for this, but I always put my AIA credential before my LEED credentials, and that’s waht I have typically seen with PE as well. I figure I worked a lot longer and harder for the AIA one, so that should be first!

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  6. Hi Allison, I hope you’re still maintaining this blog! We are ordering brand new business cards for my company and wondering how we incorporate the LEED title with personal titles.

    Example:
    Jane Doe
    Project Manager

    Would it go:
    Jane Doe, LEED AP BD+C
    Project Manager

    Or can it go:
    Jane Doe
    Project Manager, LEED AP BD+C

    Thank you!

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    1. Jane- I do still maintain the blog- I am just admittedly a couple weeks behind on posts! The LEED title should always be associated with the person’s name (like your first example), not the person’s title (like your second example).

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  8. Hey, Allison. The following quote was taken from the GBCI website,
    “LEED Green Associates
    LEED Green Associates should designate their credential by using the “LEED Green Associate” or “LEED Green Assoc.” titles and the LEED Green Associate logo in accordance with the GBCI logo guidelines. (Please note that “LEED GA” is not an approved abbreviation for the LEED Green Associate credential, and should not be used under any circumstances.)”

    Notice that it says “and the LEED Green Associate logo…”, emphasis on and. To me, this doesn’t sound like an option. Where did you see that the logo was optional?

    Thanks,

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    1. Brad- it’s definitely a matter of semantics and interpretation, but I read the excerpt you have provided to mean that you have the privilege of using both the LEED Green Associate text designation and the LEED Green Associate logo, not that you have to use both at the same time. Also, it’s simply not practical to always have to use the logo, especially on thins like mobile email signatures and business cards, so I just can’t believe that is their intent.

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  9. Allison,

    My company has several LEED APs (without specialty) and their business card says “LEED AP”. I took my LEED AP BD+C exam a few weeks ago and passed. My email signature include the BD+C, but is it ok for my business card to say LEED AP sans BD+C? This way our company’s business cards will be consistent. Thanks for your help!

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    1. Jared- You would have to use “LEED AP BD+C” on your business card to truly comply with the rules for designating your credential. I doubt anyone would really give you a hard time, though, for just using LEED AP for the sake of consistency.

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    1. Mary- If you have attained the Green Associate credential, you can download a logo by logging into the “My Credentials” section on http://www.GBCI.org. If you do not have the Green Associate Credential yourself, I would suggest that you simply do a Google Image search for “LEED Green Associate Logo” that should bring up lots of options for you.

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