Avoid Internet scams that advertise green consultant certification, green consultant training and green business certification. A scam might be as simple as paying a fee to a well-designed website and clicking to find "training" modules and a place to print out a credential. One way to spot a scam is a website with a beautiful layout, frequent grammar/spelling mistakes and a home page that only links to a few Web pages.
To avoid a scam, take a course from the Green Business League, an Illinois-based corporation, or a professional development course from an accredited college or university. A legitimate credential is backed by the school or provider's reputation.
Trained consultants help companies distinguish between green-washing (or calling attention to green practices that aren't really sustainable) and green business practices that actually reduce a company's ecological footprint. Consultants use their training as a foundation, but they develop expert knowledge over time by consulting on successful sustainability projects. If companies throw money at green business ideas that are not cost-effective or beneficial to the environment, they risk exposing themselves to consumer accusations of green-washing.
Green consulting is a broad field in which consultants specialize in helping businesses accomplish certain green standards. Some training providers like Mississippi State University organize their courses with this understanding and offer training courses and certificate programs by occupational sectors. For example, MSU provides programs labeled Certified Sustainability Professional, Green Supply Chain Professional and Senior Certified Sustainability Professional. These credentials will be useful to consultants, and there are also courses on specific topics such as green purchasing, indoor air quality, energy auditing, mold inspection and sustainable building.
Some training providers offer curriculum flexibility. Students choose from online programs offered by higher education institutions in various certificate programs. San Diego State University enables students to custom select courses within their Green Energy Management and Residential and Commercial Sustainable Practices Online Certificates to fit their career goals.
Consultants may want to specialize in sustainable development and green building design. Choosing a certificate program in Sustainable Development and Green Design like the program at University of California, Riverside, helps consultants target building and planning industry clients. For example, government planners, architects and facility managers might need this course, but a consultant can advise organizations without green expertise in how to make their building and development plans more green.