As green building grows from a California oddity to a genuine cultural movement, building materials retailers are struggling to keep up. In the past, the building industry hasn't exactly been synonymous with environmentalism. But with a slumping housing market and the estimated $40-50 billion this industry is expected to be worth in 2010, the rise of theeco-home may seem like a god-send to lumber dealers and builders.

Programs like the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program help define what features a green building contains. However, there is a vacuum on the supplier's side. Many building materials dealers simply do not have the knowledge to provide recommendations to the contractors and builders charged with implementing a sustainable building plan.

That's why LBM Journal, a monthly a publication providing industry news for lumber and building materials dealers, has created the Certified Green Dealer (CGD) Program. The "distance learning" (i.e., online) course educates building materials dealers hoping to cash in on the green building trend about sustainable building practices and how to recommend greener products to their customers. It is, in essence, the University of Phoenix of earth-friendly construction.

In one of the website's videos John Wagner, a representative with the program, says "With the rise in green building and growing demand for information about green products, there's a clear need for contractors to be armed with knowledge about green building."

LBM debuted the CGD program in December, with hundreds of lumberyards piloting or implementing it since. The venture gained some traction late last month with the $2.8 billion Do it Best Corp, a buying cooperative for building materials dealers, endorsing the program for its members.

For a dealer to earn their 1-year certification, three-quarters of a dealer's sales representatives need to complete the training of 8 sub-25min videos with nap-preventing quizzes at the end. To maintain certification, the sales reps will need to watch four more videos to keep up on the latest. The cost of certification maxes out at $899 (based on business size) for initial certification and about half that in subsequent years.

Video topics in include roofing, windows, insulation, and, what I can only assume is a class fav, mold. Actually, the free preview video covers just this topic. Says the mustachioed presenter, "Mold's been with us for millions of years and some experts estimate that there are over 100,000 different species of molds." Sign me up.