Is Your State One of the Top Ten for LEED Green Building Certifications?

On Wednesday, the U.S Green Building Council released their annual list of ten states with the most LEED certified buildings per capita.  2013’s big winner was Illinois. Topping the list once wasn’t enough for them. In Illinois, a grand total of 174 buildings became LEED certified in 2014, amounting to 42 million square feet—that’s about 737 football fields.  The U.S Green Building Council began releasing this list in 2010. In 2014 there was an overall average of 2.34 feet of LEED certified space per capita for each state—the second highest in the past years.  Georgia and Arizona made their first appearances on the list this year. The addition of these two southern states hopefully represents more regions of the country joining the green building movement. LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is known globally for its certifications in green building standards. Rick Fedrizzi, the CEO of the U.S Green Building Council commented on the importance of green architecture, saying “LEED certified buildings and the innovations they have driven contribute substantially to our national economic growth, create jobs and improve the quality of life in the communities where they are found. We commend the business and community leaders, policy makers and green building professionals in each of these states for making the commitment to create a healthier, more sustainable future.”   The List:

1. 1. Illinois
2. 2. Colorado
3. 3. Maryland
4. 4. Virginia
5. 5. Massachusetts
6. 6. Hawaii
7. 7. California
8. 8. Georgia
9. 9. Minnesota
10. 10. Arizona & New York (tied)

  Other notable facts about this year:

• Illinois and Colorado are the only two states whose names can be found on the list for all five years.
• Washington D.C. boasts an impressive 29.44 square feet of certified space per capita. However, it is omitted from the list as it is not a state, but a federal district.
• California has had 517 certified buildings in the past year.

  Check out the U.S Green Building Council’s article to see some newly LEED certified buildings.   Oonagh Cavanagh, Intern