Greensborough Earns LEED Silver Certification

Press release from the City of Greensboro:

Post Date:08/05/2020 8:34 AM

The City of Greensboro has earned LEED Silver® certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC) for its sustainability efforts. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the world’s most widely used green building rating system and promotes strategies to reduce environmental harm, enhance human health and support economic development.

The City began the process in May 2019 when it was one of 15 US cities to receive a grant to participate in the USGBC LEED for Cities and Communities Program, supported by Bank of America.

Throughout the LEED certification process, the City worked to track and verify performance on a wide variety of sustainability indicators including energy, water, transportation, education, health and more. LEED for Cities provides a consistent rating system and independently verified data analysis, allowing comparison with local, regional and global peer cities.

Becoming LEED-certified helps Greensboro advance City Council’s goal of becoming a leading city in resilience, sustainability and energy independence, and to meet or exceed the goals of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Executive Order Number 80, NC’s commitment to address climate change and transition to clean, renewable energy. Participating in the LEED for Cities program provides access to valuable tools for implementing Greensboro’s new comprehensive plan, GSO2040.

“This achievement recognizes the many outstanding steps Greensboro is taking to promote environmental sustainability, social equity and economic resilience, and reflects the hard work of so many individuals to compile and analyze information about Greensboro’s performance and progress,” said City Manager David Parrish. The certification process also identifies focus areas for future improvement.

“The work of cities like Greensboro is a driving force in ensuring a more sustainable and resilient future for all,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC. “Cities and communities that achieve LEED certification are lowering carbon emissions, creating a healthier environment and striving to improve the quality of life for their residents. Greensboro is setting a standard for what it means to be a high performer and their efforts and achievements should be an example for all.”

Third party verification systems such as LEED encourage transparency and confirm that a project has met the highest sustainable standards. Nearly 200 cities and communities, and more than 103,000 buildings and spaces, in nearly 180 countries and territories currently participate in LEED.

This press release was produced by the City of Greensboro. The views expressed here are the author’s own.