City of Oakland California

Whether your project is big or small, there are many resources to help you make it green! Visit our very own Green Building Resource Center in downtown Oakland or take advantage of local classes, trainings and workshops. Or maybe you would like to know more about green building certification, terminology, and technical tools. Here is a list of some of the many resources available to help you get started on your green building project.

Located next to the Planning and Permit Center on the 2nd floor of 250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, the Green Building Resource Center provides an introduction to green building practices and materials through samples, case studies, and video and print materials. The Green Building Resource Center is open at the same time as the Permit Center 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, closed holidays and weekends.

Staff is available Monday from 8:30 am to 10:30 am and Thursday from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm to assist project applicants with planning waste elimination and reduction and recycling.

• Click here for Build It Green Professional training
• Click here for the U. S. Green Building Council training
• Click here for the U. S. Green Building Council's Northern California training
• Click here for Energy Upgrade California contractor training
• Click here for PG&E's Energy Efficiency Classes
• Click here for the UC Berkeley Extension Classes in Construction and Environmental Management
• Click here for the UC Davis Extension Classes in Green Building and Sustainable Design
• Click here for the UC Davis Extension Classes in Renewable Energy Systems
• Click here for Laney College Classes in Building Automation, Energy Efficiency and Weatherization
• Click here for the Sonoma State University School of Extended Education Green Building Certificate Program
• Click here for the California Energy Commission's approved list of Home Energy Rating System Program providers
• Click here for information on the Green Jobs Corp

• Click here for information on Green Building in Alameda County  
• Click here for information on the U. S. Green Building Council and the LEED rating system
• Click here for  information on Build It Green
• Click here for information on Energy Upgrade California
• Click here for more information on Energy Upgrade California in Alameda County
• Click here for more information on CALGreen

• Click here to find GreenPoint Raters.
  • Bay Area GreenPoint Raters List for Existing Single Family Additions and Alteration Projects
  • Bay Area GreenPoint Raters List for New Single Family and Multi-Family Residential Construction Projects
• Click here to find Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professionals (APs). This directory is maintained by the Green Building Certification Institute.
• Click here to find a Bay Friendly Qualified Landscape Professional

The City of Portland, Oregon has had a green building program for about 10 years. Over the course of its program their staff have developed a glossary of green building terms that is both comprehensive and useful. Click here to view the green building glossary. 

• Click here for the link to Build It Green's Green Product Directory.
• Click here for the link to Build It Green's comprehensive lists on suppliers of green building products within the 9-County San Francisco Bay Area. The products listed in these reports must meet criteria consistent with the measures outlined in the Build It Green Guidelines.
• Click here for the link to StopWaste.Org's Builders Guide to Reuse and Recycling.
• Click here for a link to StopWaste.Org's Buying Recycled-Content and Environmentally Preferable Products page. This page has guidelines for buying environmentally preferable products, fact sheets, and more.