New York ranks 10th state in nation for LEED green building per-capita

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its annual ranking of the Top 10 States in the nation for LEED with the state of New York placing 10th. The per-capita list highlights states throughout the country that are making impactful strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation. LEED-certified spaces use less energy and water resources, save money for families, businesses and taxpayers, reduce carbon emissions and create a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community. "Every story about a green building is a story about people," said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. "USGBC's annual recognition of the Top 10 States for LEED goes beyond gross s/f or number of projects and factors in LEED's potential in a given state to be part of the daily life of the state's residents. This per-capita approach tells a great story about how LEED has become an important benchmark in the transformation of the nation's built environment. LEED certified buildings and the innovations they have driven contribute substantially to our national economic growth, create jobs and improve the quality of life in the communities where they are found. We commend the business and community leaders, policy makers and green building professionals in each of these states for making the commitment to create a healthier, more sustainable future." "New York has so many committed business and community leaders, policy makers and green building professionals who are using LEED to transform their built environment, producing many innovative spaces that will improve the health of our shared planet, as well as the health of the people who use those buildings every day," said Fedrizzi. The per-capita list is based on 2010 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects that were certified throughout 2014. New York certified 250 projects representing 33,691,209 s/f of real estate, or 1.74 s/f per resident, in 2014. USGBC calculates the list using per-capita figures as a measure of the human element of green building, allowing for a fair comparison of the level of green building taking place among states with differences in population and, accordingly, number of overall buildings. Notable NYS projects that certified in 2014 include: * 1221 Avenue of the Americas in NYC, re-certified as LEED Silver * Golisano Institute for Sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, LEED Platinum * 200 Vesey St. in NYC, LEED Gold * Albany Medical Center, Patient Pavilion in Albany, LEED Gold * H.W. Smith PK-8 School in Syracuse, LEED Silver * Weill Cornell Medical College in NYC, LEED Gold. There are more than 818 USGBC member organizations with a headquarters in New York and more than 13,767 LEED credentialed professionals in the state. Collectively, 1,662 commercial and institutional projects became LEED certified within the top 10 states in 2014, representing 251.7 million s/f of real estate. Worldwide, 4,502 projects were certified in 2014, representing 675.7 million s/f. More than 26,600 projects representing 3.6 billion s/f of space have been LEED-certified to date, with another 42,000 projects representing 8.8 billion s/f in the pipeline for certification. USGBC launched LEED v4, the newest version of the rating system, in the fall of 2013. The latest version continues to raise the bar for the entire green building industry, which Forbes Magazine projects could be worth up to $960 billion globally by 2023. LEED v4 features increased technical rigor; new market sector adaptations for data centers, warehouses and distribution centers, hospitality, existing schools, existing retail and midrise residential projects; and a simplified submittal process supported by a robust and intuitive technology platform.