Cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, and Montana have made the most recent list of municipalities to be part of an advanced green building certification process.
The announcement comes out of the Washington-based U.S. Green Building Council, the organization that created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design system, most popularly known as LEED.
The council’s LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program is more specifically geared to help cities sustainably plan for the development of energy, transportation, water, and waste systems in their communities.
Launched in 2017, the program has to date contributed more than $1.7 million to cities and counties across the country as they pursue LEED certification.
This year, Billings, Montana; Durango, Colorado; and Tempe, Arizona, are among the 15 cities chosen to be a part of the program.
In a statement, Mahesh Ramanujam, chief executive officer of the U.S. Green Building Council, lauded the chosen cities for their commitment to sustainable “solutions for health,” using the LEED process as a “tool to ensure they are on a path of continuous improvement.”
The program, with an emphasis on technical assistance, access to educational resources, and peer-to-peer networking for the chosen cities, is done in conjunction with the Bank of America.
Since the program was launched, nearly 60 cities and counties have achieved LEED certification.
By Garry Boulard