Georgia Ranks #6 For Green Buildings
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its annual ranking of U.S. states leading the way on green building, with Georgia coming in at the #6 spot.
The USGBC ranking is based on LEED-certified gross square footage per capita over the past year. The LEED rating system is the world’s most widely used green building program and was created by USGBC as a leadership standard defining best practices for healthy, high-performing green buildings.
“It was a strong year for LEED certifications across the U.S. as companies and governments embrace LEED as a tool for meeting ESG goals and organizational commitments to climate action, occupant well-being and resource efficiency,” said Peter Templeton, USGBC president and CEO. “LEED buildings are environmentally friendly, cutting their emissions and waste, and use less energy and water. At the same time, they also help reduce operational and maintenance costs, contributing to the bottom line.
 | GA Top 10 StateSome building projects noted in Georgia are the World Congress Center, Project Rebound, Atlanta iHub, Savannah Convention Center and more. 1. Massachusetts - 3.76 2022 GSF Per Capita 2. Illinois - 3.48 2022 GSF Per Capita 3. New York - 3.17 2022 GSF Per Capita 4. California - 2.44 2022 GSF Per Capita 5. Maryland - 2.39 2022 GSF Per Capita The Top 10 rounded out with Colorado in 7th, Virginia in 8th, Texas in 9th and Oregon in 10th. |
As a federal territory, Washington, D.C., does not appear in the official top 10 list of states, but it consistently leads the nation in LEED-certified square footage per capita, in part because of the federal government and the District’s ongoing commitments to green building. In 2022, the nation’s capital certified over 46 square feet of space per resident across 115 green building projects.
Ryan Snow, South Atlantic and South Central regional director for the U.S. Green Building Council, said Georgia last appeared on the list five years ago, and made it back because of its continued contributions to green building projects in the state.
"There's always a lot of LEED and green building activity in the state," Snow acknowledged. "But in 2022, there were 66 projects that were certified including for large notable projects. For example, the Georgia World Congress Center was re-certified, and that building alone is almost 4 million square feet. So it certainly contributed to the ranking this year."
The report also details the Top 10 states for LEED professionals. Transforming the building sector to be more sustainable requires a skilled and knowledgeable workforce. This workforce is contributing to the development and advocacy of LEED and is being quickly embraced by the next generation workforce and decision makers. USGBC has been committed to cultivating and supporting green building professionals through its credentialing and certificate programs. Georgia did not make this list. California holds the #1 spot, followed by New York, Texas, Florida and more.
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