Illinois moved up two spots from third in 2020 to lead the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual list of Top 10 LEED States. In 2021, Illinois certified 87 projects and 40.52 million square feet of space, which translates to 3.16 gross square feet per capita. Illinois beat out Washington state, which came in second for the second straight year with 21.92 million square feet certified in 2021, or 2.92 gross sqaure feet certified per capita.
“Amidst the challenges of 2021, governments, companies and other organizations committed to taking bold actions to protect the climate, their employees and their communities,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “Transitioning our buildings to be healthier and more sustainable is essential to meeting these commitments, and we’re proud to recognize states where that work is well under way.”
Here’s the full list.
1.Illinois
2.Washington
3.Massachusetts
4.Colorado
5.Virginia
6.California
7.Maryland
8.Oregon
9.Utah
10.Nevada
In total, this year’s top 10 LEED states certified 1,002 projects, encompassing 226.89 million square feet of space. Read more about the list and projections for 2022 at USGBC’s official announcement page.
USGBC calculates the top 10 list based on 2020 U.S. Census data, using per capita figures to allow for a fair comparison of the level of green building taking place among states with significant differences in population and number of overall buildings. The data includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified to LEED between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021.
Greg Zimmerman is editor, Building Operating Management magazine and FacilitiesNet.com.
