Upcoming Workshops How to Safely Clean Up Moldy & Toxic Homes A free one-day train-the-trainer workshop for staff and volunteers from New Orleans area organizations working with homeowners, volunteers, day laborers, contractors, and other workers on post-hurricane home cleanup. Principal trainer Dennis Livingston will lead the Alliance for Healthy Homes co-sponsored event, which will show participants how to deliver a two to three hour training session to teach others safe and effective home mold and sludge cleanup and proper use of appropriate personal protective equipment. Livingston has more than 25 years of experience designing and delivering worker training and other community-based programs in renovation, weatherization, the prevention and remediation of lead hazards, and other healthy housing practices. The workshop will take place Friday, November 17, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Preservation Resource Center, 923 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans. Lunch will be served. A safe mold cleanup guidebook and follow-up assistance will be provided to trainees. There is no fee, but to register, contact Ralph Scott, 202-543-1147 or rscott@afhh.org. A number of resources and training exist on recovering and rebuilding after a disaster.

Training Resources for Disaster Recovery and Building Reconstruction

In response to a request from the Louisiana State Energy Office, the Building Technologies Program will provide five Web-based code training sessions for architects, engineers, and code officials. Over a five-week period in November and December, DOE and the State Energy Office are sponsoring a series of Web casts to train interested architects and engineers on how to comply with the 2005 Louisiana ASHRAE Commercial Energy Building Code as they renovate and replace commercial and multi-family buildings.

DOE's Building Technologies Program is supporting efforts to develop training workshops in partnership with Gulf-state State Energy Offices and university extension services on building/rebuilding with energy efficiency and storm resistance. More information on the training workshops, including the workshop schedule, will be available soon.

Builders looking for the latest training on disaster recovery and building reconstruction can find many opportunities with the organizations below.

ENERGY STAR® — Training workshops provide contractors with the prerequisite knowledge to participate in the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

• Independent Study Program includes A Citizen's Guide to Disaster Assistance, Community Hurricane Preparedness and Introduction to Residential Coastal Construction
• Emergency Management Institute includes courses in Preparedness and Response and Recovery and Mitigation

Advanced Energy's Builder's Series — Building High Performance Homes, is designed to help the builder sell homes at a greater profit by increasing the home's value, decreasing carrying costs and eliminating callbacks. Other training includes:

• Builder's Series — includes several 1-day courses on skills needed to build a home.
• Building Diagnostics, Level 1 (The Duct School)

Energy & Environmental Building Association (EEBA)

• Houses That Work: Educational Series, Introduction to the House as a System provides strategies and concepts that reduce costly callbacks, warranty and liability issues.
• EEBA Institute of Building Technology, a 12 module, comprehensive, building science curriculum offers 2 levels of participation, the Technology Certification and the MasterBuilder Certification.

Escambia County Windstorm Damage Mitigation Training and Demonstration Center — The Demonstration Center serves as the Gulf Coast regional facility to disseminate information related to all aspects of enhancing the wind resistance of existing and new housing.

Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC)

• Checklist for Sustainable Development
• Commercial Buildings Under Attack from Uncontrolled Air Flow
• Diagnosing Moisture Problems

National Association of Home Builders Research Center (NAHBRC)

• National Housing Qualified (NHQ) Certified Builder Program
• NHQ Certified Trade Contractor Program
• Develop and Implement a Home Builder Safety and Health Management Program

Southface Energy Institute — Offers courses and training events that are multi-day workshops on building science, one-day seminars on energy codes, certified Home Energy Rating Systems courses and a Homebuilding School.

University of Florida School of Natural Resources & Environment Program for Resource Efficient Communities — Examples of courses include:

• Performance Under Pressure: Strengthened Homes for Enhanced Resistance to Wind Loads
• Post-Flooding Considerations and Mold
• Residential Roofing and Hurricanes
• Windstorms and Tree Damage
• Building, Buying or Remodeling your Florida Home

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