GPRO Operations + Maintenance Training

GPRO O+M training for building operations and maintenance equips facility and custodial teams with practical, actionable, and affordable strategies for improving energy efficiency, reducing water use, and improving indoor air quality. This two-day course will help facility teams identify ways to reduce energy and water demand and cut utility costs as well as ways to create healthier indoor air quality by addressing cleaning products, chemical use, pest management, ventilation and air filtration, and more. Content includes information that facility members of any building type will find useful, as well as customized information especially relevant to preK-12 school teams. 

This course – which focuses on preventive maintenance and data-driven decision-making – not only offers best practices developed by green building and facility experts in the field but also offers an opportunity to share lessons and questions with peers. Many past participants have maintained relationships with their classmates.  

This GPRO training was developed by the Urban Green Council and is offered in Western Pennsylvania by Green Building Alliance, whose staff has been teaching the class every year since 2016.  

Requirements:  

The virtual course will be offered on Zoom. A link will be sent only to registered participants in the days leading up to the class.  

Participants will need an internet connection and the ability to use their camera and microphone so they can fully participate in class. Breaks will be provided throughout the class.

Students may be emailed additional materials that should be reviewed prior to the first day of class. 

Class end times are estimates and may change based on the amount of discussion and questions in each cohort. We may end class earlier than planned but rarely go over our allotted time. 

Learning Objectives: 
This class includes content on both the Fundamentals of Building Green as well as Operations & Maintenance essentials. Topics include: 

• Performance Metrics 

• Building Envelope 

• Water Use 

• Heating, Cooling & Hot Water 

• Indoor Air Quality 

• Lighting 

• Waste Reduction  

• Resiliency 

• Commissioning Existing Buildings 

Meet Your Trainer: 

Leslie Montgomery, VP of Education and Communications, Green Building Alliance
LEED AP BD + C 

In her role as Vice President of Education & Communications, Leslie is responsible for the development of all of GBA’s education and training events.  She conceptualizes different learning models, while tracking the most relevant innovations in sustainable buildings.  She also supports GBA’s program-specific events, including its special events. 

Leslie is a member of the Master Builders’ Association’s Green Builders Committee. She served for six years on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Pittsburgh and was co-chair of its Sustainable Construction Committee. 

Leslie holds a Masters of Science in Sustainable Systems from Slippery Rock University and a Bachelors of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Winthrop University. 

More about this program: 

School facility and custodial staff members are unsung heroes in the quest for healthy and high-performing school buildings that contribute to thriving environments for students.  

While anyone is welcome to register, preference will be given to school communities.  

If your school is located in an environmental justice community, you are invited to attend this course free of charge, and we will offer a stipend to cover your travel expenses if you want to attend the course in-person. Please reach out to Leslie Montgomery if you have questions about this offer or if you would like to check your eligibility.