Top 10 States for LEED-Certified Green Buildings

Back in January, The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its 2011 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita, based on the U.S. 2010 Census information.

The District of Columbia leads the nation, with more than 31 square feet of LEED-certified space per person in 2011, with Colorado being the leading state, with 2.74 square feet per person in 2011.

Other top states include Illinois, Virginia and Washington, with 2.69, 2.42 and 2.18 square feet of LEED-certified space per person, respectively.

The top LEED states per capita, including the District of Columbia, are Colorado, Illinois, Virginia, Washington, Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas, California, New York and Minnesota.

LEED is the internationally recognized mark of green building excellence, with more than 44,000 commercial projects participating, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 120 countries.

Most products used by Washington Roofing and Insulation are ENERGY STAR®, LEED, CRRC, Miami - Dade County approved and/or certified. 

Source: Press Release Jan. 19, 2012 by the U.S. Green Building Council

New LEED Pilot Credits

Yesterday, the U.S. Green Building Council added nine additional Pilot Credits to their LEED Pilot Credit Library. These include:

• Pilot Credit 44: EQ - Ergonomics Strategy
• Pilot Credit 45: SS - Site Assessment
• Pilot Credit 46: EA - HVAC Commissioning
• Pilot Credit 47: EQ - Acoustic Comfort
• Pilot Credit 48: IP - Discovery - Analysis to Support Integrative Process
• Pilot Credit 49 : IP - Implementing Synergies
• Pilot Credit 52: MR - Environmentally Preferable Non-Structural Products and Materials - Prescriptive Attributes
• Pilot Credit 53: MR - Responsible Sourcing of Raw Material and
• Pilot Credit 54: MR - Avoidance of Chemicals of Concern in Building Materials. 

LEED is a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in March 2000 for buildings that are "designed, constructed and operated for improved environmental and human health performance."

From homes to commercial buildings, LEED credits can be obtained by following specific guidelines for new construction or renovation, schools, retail, core & shell, commercial interiors, operations & maintenance and neighborhood development. 

Complying with LEED standards is completely voluntary, but has been proven to benefit owners with cost-effective solutions that result from green building. To read case studies, profiles, research and resources on green building, visit the U.S. Green Building Council website.