The Brutal Truth About Cynic Ethics and Sustainable Design
GreenCE’s mission is to support the necessary transition to a sustainable built environment by empowering design professionals to address the environmental, economic, and social impacts of buildings. GreenCE’s course catalog includes LEED exam preparation, continuing education to maintain your AIA or LEED credential, as well as specialty education focused on topics such as ADA/Barrier-Free requirements. We are committed to designing the highest quality continuing education programs in the construction industry.
What do a 2,400-year-old philosopher and today’s toughest client meetings have in common? More than you think. In this course, you’ll discover how ancient Greek Cynic philosophy can help you defuse conflict, win over clients, and keep your sustainable design goals on track. Packed with real-world case studies and practical tools, this course shows architects, engineers, and contractors how to navigate high-stakes conversations about eco-friendly materials, resolve team tensions when budgets clash with sustainability, and build long-term client trust through radical honesty and clarity. You’ll learn how fearless truth-telling can transform tension into teamwork, and how integrity-driven communication leads to smarter, greener, and more collaborative projects. Whether you're battling budget pushback or internal resistance, this course gives you the confidence—and the tactics—to stand your ground, speak your truth, and still get the job done.
- Use Cynic philosophical principles to evaluate and select building materials based on genuine environmental performance and local availability rather than status or marketing claims.
- Apply Cynic communication techniques to resolve conflicts when clients resist sustainable design recommendations, using honest dialogue to align project decisions with long-term environmental and economic benefits.
- Implement Cynic self-sufficiency principles to create design practices that reduce dependence on complex systems and environmentally harmful materials while maintaining professional effectiveness and client satisfaction.
- Review Cynic conflict resolution methods to facilitate productive discussions between team members when environmental considerations clash with budget, schedule, or technical constraints during construction projects.
