USGBC Involvement
7group is a member of the USGBC and has been involved with LEED® since its entry into the marketplace as a pilot program in 1997. The project that generated the formation of 7group was one of the first 12 LEED certified projects worldwide, under version 1.0. Since then, 7group has been involved with over 100 registered projects, including the first LEED v2 Gold Certified building, the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Cambria Office Building.
7group is deeply committed to promoting the future development of LEED and the USGBC.
Volunteer Activities:
LEED Steering Committee (LSC)
2003-2009, John Boecker; 2004-2009, Marcus Sheffer; and 2005-2009, Scot Horst, Chair
Three current/former partners in 7group are veterans on the LSC. Scot Horst served as the Chair of this committee for 4 years prior to his appointment as the USGBC’s Senior Vice President in charge of LEED. For this work, Scot received a USGBC Leadership Award in 2008. John Boecker served on the LSC for 6 years, first in his capacity as Chair of the Curriculum Committee and more recently as Chair of the International Task Force. Both Scot and John also served on the Management Steering Committee. Marcus Sheffer served on the LSC for 5 years in his capacity as the Vice Chair of the Energy and Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group.
Green Building Association of Central PA (GBACPA), a USGBC Affiliate
1996-2008, Founding Chair and Vice-Chair, Board Members, Sheffer and Boecker
Marcus Sheffer was the founding Chair of the GBACPA during its formative first 5 years, prior to the existence of USGBC chapters, and he later served various roles on the Board of Directors for over 10 years in total. John Boecker was the founding Vice Chair of the organization, and he served as Chair following Sheffer for 2 years, then on the GBACPA Board for 10 years total. Currently, Sheila Sagerer, Todd Reed and Gerren Wagner serve on GBACPA voluntary committees as part of their 7group affiliation.
LEED Energy & Atmosphere Technical Advisory Group (EA TAG)
2004-present, Sheffer, Chair
The EA TAG advises and makes recommendations to LEED Committees, working groups, and the LSC on technical issues; reviews and assesses the consistency and technical rigor of credits and prerequisites; develops and modifies credits to be incorporated into LEED in accordance with the direction of LEED improvements related to energy and atmosphere issues. The TAGs are currently developing the next version of LEED, scheduled for publication in 2012. As Chair of the EA TAG, Marcus also serves on the USGBC LEED Technical Committee. The LEED Technical Committee is a committee of the LSC charged with assessing and recommending solutions to the LSC for review and approval. Its purpose is to optimize LEED’s technical effectiveness and scientific validity across LEED credit categories.
LEED International Task Force
2007-2009, Horst; 2007-present, Boecker, Chair
This committee, Co-Chaired by Rick Fedrizzi (CEO of the USGBC) develops procedures and protocols for organizations in other countries pursuing the creation of Green Building Councils and the adaptation of LEED to their unique context. John Boecker continues to provide consulting services to USGBC about these issues.
LEED Education Steering Committee
2006-2008, Boecker
This committee is charged with developing and coordinating all USGBC educational efforts, including LEED curricula, online training, professional development courses, higher education programs, sustainability curricula in public schools, and public education.
LEED Curriculum Committee
2002-2007, Boecker, Chair
John Boecker served as the first Chair of this committee and designed its structure with USGBC staff. During his tenure, this committee was responsible for developing and delivering all LEED workshops, recruiting and training LEED faculty, and creating and administering the LEED Accredited Professional exam.
LEED Technical & Scientific Advisory Committee (TSAC)
2002-2009, Horst, PVC Subcommittee Chair
Scot Horst served on TSAC; he chaired the PVC Subcommittee, which examined the highly controversial issues surrounding PVC in building materials. Additional information on the process employed by this subcommittee and results can be found at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=153
Education and Publications:
LEED Reference Guide Contributing Authors
7goup partners and staff contributed to the writing and editing of the LEED Reference Guides over the past several years, including LEED-NC v2.2, LEED-CI v2.0, LEED-EB v2.0, and LEED 2009 BD+C.
LEED Core Concepts Guide
John Boecker is a member of the USGBC Advisory Committee responsible for writing of the Green Building and LEED Core Concepts Guide, a resource for candidates pursuing the LEED Green Associate credential.
LEED for Homes Mid-Rise
7group has been working with USGBC to analyze the alignment of the LEED for Homes Mid-Rise rating system with other LEED rating systems for LEED v3.
LEED Accredited Professional (AP) Exam and Training
John Boecker served as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in writing numerous questions for several versions of the LEED AP exam and the online training course for LEED APs, entitled “The Essentials of the LEED AP”.
LEED-Online
7goup has been working with USGBC to improve the functionality, technical content, and quality of the LEED-Online submittal templates utilized by project teams pursuing LEED certification.
LEED Training Development
7goup partners have participated in the development of several USGBC training courses including the LEED Advanced Workshop, the LEED-NC Technical Review, the LEED for Schools Workshop, the LEED BD+C 251 Understanding the Building Design and Construction Rating Systems, and the USGBC Instructor Training Program; 7group led the development of the Integrative Approach to LEED Projects and Energy Modeling for LEED Projects courses.
LEED Faculty
2002-2008 and 2010-present, Boecker and Sheffer
7group partners were among the first 12 LEED faculty members nationwide, appointed by the USGBC to teach LEED workshops. Additionally, John Boecker helped develop and teaches the USGBC Instructor Training Program; he also trained the GBC Italia’s LEED Instructors and serves as USGBC’s Mentor to the Italian LEED Instructors.
LEED International
7group partners provided consulting services to the USGBC in identifying and prioritizing needed alternative compliance paths for LEED BD+C and LEED-EBOM for the purpose of creating versions of LEED that can be adapted by countries outside the U.S.
Green Building Video Production
Videos created by 7group partner Tom Keiter for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania featured 7group partners and projects. In particular, Lessons Learned, which tells the story of two PA DEP projects applying LEED and the integrative design process, was featured in the USGBC’s LEED Workshops from 2002 through 2008. Tom also created a video featured at the second Greenbuild conference in Pittsburgh entitled This Remarkable Place. 7group also produced a video for the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) on High Performance Design, which now is featured at LEED trainings. A new video for RMI featuring the integrative design process is currently in production, entitled Performance by Design. See some of the videos in our resources section.
LEED Certification Reviews:
Certification Reviewer
2003-present
7group was one of the first five firms in the U.S. hired to conduct technical reviews for LEED certifications. Since 2003, 7group has been involved in reviewing more than 1,000 projects pursuing LEED certification.
Certification Reviewer Training
2008-present
7group was one of only three review firms hired to train the Certification Bodies (CBs), so that the USGBC could significantly increase the capacity of LEED certification reviews. Working under Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), we developed direct on-site training of new reviewers, and we perform quality control reviews of CB reviewers, as they actively engage LEED reviews. Training included general and specific technical issues regarding all LEED credits and EAc1 training in particular. As part of the EAc1 training, 7group led a team of consultants to develop an EAc1 Reviewer Manual to help reviewers navigate the technical nuances of this complex credit.
LEED Accredited Professionals:
7group staff includes 14 LEED Accredited Professionals: Cris Argeles, John Boecker, Alvin Changco, Shannon Crooker, Cam Fitzgerald, Tom Keiter, Sol Lothe, Todd Reed, Sheila Sagerer, Lura Faust, Marcus Sheffer, Brian Toevs, Tyler Thumma, and Gerren Wagner.
