Image courtesy USGBC
For the first time since 2011, Colorado took the highest rank on the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) annual list of Top 10 States for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Illinois has come in second place and New York took third spot.
This year’s top states are home to more than 105 million people, including over 80,000 LEED green building professionals with the skills to support the sustainable transformation of buildings.
“Over the last year, the Top 10 states have certified projects that serve as incredible examples of how green building can create more sustainable and resilient spaces that improve our living standard,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, USGBC president. “There is still much work to be done, but the progress made across these states shows us that our work is having a tangible impact on people’s lives.”
The Top 10 list is based on the 2010 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified throughout 2019. Colorado certified 102 green building projects representing 0.44-m2 (4.76-sf) of LEED-certified space per resident. The state has made the Top 10 list each year but jumped to the top spot after ranking sixth in 2018. Minnesota and Oregon reemerged as Top 10 states after missing the list last year, coming in at number eight and nine respectively.
USGBC calculates the list using per capita figures to allow for a fair comparison of the level of green building taking place among states with significant differences in population and number of overall buildings.
The full rankings are as follows:
