The Green Assistance program aims to both increase community involvement in green building design and develop an individual's skills in sustainable projects, while promoting ecological and sustainable design and awareness.

While organized and developed through the San Diego Green Building Council, GAP's successes equate directly to the great base of volunteers and the knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication they bring to each project.

Balboa Park: LEED for Communities Certification

We partnered with the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership (BPCP), City of San Diego, and the Zoo in 2020 to help the park achieve their sustainability goals! This time we helped them earn Certified level LEED for Communities certification. LEED for Communities helps local leaders, planners, and developers create communities with responsible, sustainable and specific plans for natural systems, energy, water, waste, transportation and many other factors that contribute to quality of life.

Many of our volunteers had not previously been part of a LEED project, but through GAP learned and developed skills which help them, the community, and the environment. We are excited to have supported this newest LEED certification for Balboa Park!

S3: Students, Service, Sustainability

The S3 program is a three pillar initiative that creates green sector workforce development opportunities while addressing the role of efficient buildings in fighting climate change. S3 connects students to green building curriculum and projects through a multi-step plan. More details on the program can be found here.

In 2018-19, we worked with 20 students from San Diego State University to achieve their GPRO (Green Professional Building Skills Training) Certifications. Utilizing backpack toolkits and their GPRO training, the students were partnered with local small-to-medium sized businesses to perform free green building audits. In addition to providing a professional certification and technical green building skills, the hands-on experience is highly sought after by emerging green professionals. By applying knowledge to real-life projects, students will gain a better understanding of implementing sustainability projects and businesses will be able to accurately assess their water, energy and waste data.

Thanks to the SDG&E Environmental Champions Initiative, that has funded this program in previous years.

Balboa Park: LEED Recertification

In 2019, over 50 volunteers worked on the LEED Recertifications of four Balboa Park institutions: Casa del Prado, Casa de Balboa, The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, & The Old Globe Theatre. These volunteer teams connect local leaders in the green building industry with team members consisting of architects, engineers, consultants, business-owners, and students alike. 

The aim of this program is to educate and collaborate with building operators and tenants by proving environmental metrics and solutions through the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Additionally, the volunteer teams have an opportunity to learn and develop skills which ultimately help themselves, the community, and the environment. While organized and developed through the San Diego Green Building Council, GAP's successes equate directly to the great base of volunteers and the knowledge, enthusiasm, and dedication they bring to each project.

Thank you to the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership Sustainability Program for their help and dedication to the program.