Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and San Jose, Calif., received a grant from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) that includes financial assistance to help the cities pursue LEED for Cities certification. The grant, which aims to recognize the sustainability and green building achievements of U.S. cities pursuing the certification, also includes educational resources and customized technical support.
Cities aiming to achieve LEED for Cities certification are evaluated on energy, water, waste, transportation, education, health, safety and equitability. Washington, D.C., and Phoenix, Ariz., are the first cities to achieve certification through the program and earned LEED Platinum, the highest level of certification.
“A sustainable city not only focuses on the environmental footprint but also how it is working to provide a better quality of life for its residents,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC. “LEED has been a transformative tool for buildings, and we are taking what we learned and applying it to help cities achieve a higher level of performance. LEED for Cities helps tell a sustainability story in a way that encourages a city’s citizens to be more engaged, and with the support of the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, these six grant recipients are committing to delivering a more sustainable future today.”
Twenty-five cities are participating in the program around the world. Their performances are tracked using Arc, the digital platform that connects all sustainability progress in one place and generates a performance score between 0 and 100.
The program is supported by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
“Bank of America has been a member of USGBC for 20 years. We greatly value the organization’s leadership and innovative programs – like LEED for Cities – that are focused on reducing use of critical natural resources and creating a healthier built environment,” says Alex Liftman, Global Environmental executive at Bank of America. “Through this program, cities where our employees work and live will help to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable, lower-carbon future. At our company, and with support from USGBC, we have introduced significant goals to reduce the environmental impacts of the bank’s operations, including becoming carbon neutral and purchasing 100 percent renewable electricity by 2020. We currently have more than 18 million square feet of LEED certified workspace across our global operations, including 150 LEED certified financial centers.”
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
