Over the past year, we’ve seen the importance that America places on environmentally-friendly procedures and regulations increase. Notable, there has been growth in green building all across the country, as recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that recently compiling its list of Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED)-rated buildings per capita.
In 2011, Washington, DC took the top prize for the most LEED-rated buildings per capita, rounding out at 18,954,022 square feet worth of commercial and industrial space, equating to 31.5 sq. feet per person. DC not only topped the list, but its competition has yet to gain signification ground. DC’s closest competition is Colorado, which only boasts only 2.74 square feet of green space per capita. Other states that made the top ten on the list are Illinois, Virginia and Washington state.
LEED is an important rating systems designed to evaluate green buildings, homes and neighborhoods. LEED is essentially a manual for green building and design; it provides a standard for which builders and architects can follow. With an increasing stress on green building, LEED was developed by the USGBC in 1998. Today the system has grown to include nine different rating systems encompassing various aspects and sectors of green building.
We are glad to see such a high percentage in DC, but more importantly, to see percentages in other states continue to rise. The importance of green building has never been higher and the trend towards LEED rated buildings is a great step towards overall sustainability. Read more here