Washington, D.C. and Nevada Lead the Country in LEED Certification
Responding to the growing demand for green building practices and sustainable design, cities and states across the country are seeing a noticeable increase in LEED-certified buildings—those certified under the United States Green Building Council’s LEED program, which promotes “sustainable building and development practices” to safeguard the environment and human health. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
Currently more than 40,000 projects worldwide participate in the USGBC’s LEED rating system program, and just last week the USGBC released its list of the Top 10 [U.S.] States for LEED Green Buildings in 2010. Leading the country in LEED certification were Washington, D.C. and Nevada.
After assessing information from the U.S. Census Bureau, the USGBC reported that the District of Columbia contains almost 25 square feet of LEED-certified space per resident. Nevada is a close second, with 10.92 square feet per person. Also making the list were New Mexico, New Hampshire, Oregon and South Carolina, with 6.35, 4.49, 4.07 and 3.19 square feet of LEED-certified property per person, respectively.
The USGBC noted a few notable projects last year, including two International Monetary Fund buildings in D.C., which earned LEED Gold certification, and a Wells Fargo Center in Denver. Said USGBC Senior Vice President of LEED Scot Horst, “2010 was a difficult year for most of the building industry, but in many areas, the hunger for sustainable development kept the markets moving.”
For more information on earning or updating your LEED professional credentials, check out RedVector’s helpful LEED Roadmap.