[gallery] The LEED rating system has changed the way a building is delivered. It draws together more of the construction and design team from the very beginning, and encourages an integrated design.

IMI educates and prepares the contractor to be a valuable contributor to that team. We developed the first Sustainable Masonry Certification Program, where contractors learn key concepts such as project management and documentation, material storage, construction waste management and IEQ impact.

Contractors benefit from IMI's reputation as a respected provider of sustainable education to the architectural community. AIA and USGBC recognize IMI's unique role in delivering quality education programs like this, and especially appreciate the quality assurance built into them.

Since showing up for class is not enough to guarantee true understanding of sustainability practices, the session ends with a test, where contractors must demonstrate their ability to fulfill their LEED responsibilities. (And, as the contractors will tell you, it's not an easy "A".)

"I got a better understanding of what LEED is all about," says Ron Adams, Vice President of Cascade Construction Co., Inc. in Seattle. "In a lot of ways, we are already green and have been for years." Adams would like the design community to know "that they can use more of what we have to offer."

To learn more about green masonry, see the November issue of Construction Specifier magazine, page 22, "The Building Blocks of Green Masonry."

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