The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the rankings of its annual Top 10 States for LEED with Illinois topping the 2021 list. Illinois took the top spot with 87 LEED projects and 3.16 square space per capita. Illinois has consistently placed among the Top 10 every year since USGBC began the ranking more than 10 years ago. It has previously ranked as the top LEED state in 2013. 2014, 2015 and most recently in 2018.
“Illinois is one of the states that consistently ranks among the top LEED states and is leading the country not just in certified LEED projects but overall sustainability,” said USGBC president and CEO Peter Templeton. “The high number of certified LEED projects in Illinois reflects a longstanding commitment from both government and the private sector to find new and innovative ways to ensure more sustainable buildings and communities. People across the state benefit every day from the work that both the private and public sectors are doing in their communities to create healthier environments and minimize the impacts of climate change.”
The 87 LEED certified projects across Illinois in 2021 included commercial offices buildings, retail shops, schools and housing projects. Some notable projects:
- ECOS – Illinois certified Gold under LEED v4.1 Operations + Maintenance as well as LEED Zero in all four categories – Energy, Waste, Water and Carbon.
- Hines VC Project at 131 S. Dearborn in Chicago’s central business district was certified Gold for LEED Operations + Maintenance. Hines has over 90+ million sq. ft. that have been certified, pre-certified or registered under LEED.
- Englewood Stem High School is a 16,000-square-foot school located in Chicago’s Englewood Community that achieved LEED Silver certification.
- Newman Residence is a single residence family project in Chicago that certified LEED v4.1 Platinum.
Commitments to increase green building remain a global priority and demand is expected to grow in the coming years, according the 2021 World Green Building Trends Report. LEED provides a framework for projects to promote personal health and well-being and that use less energy and water, reduce carbon emissions and save money for families, businesses and taxpayers.
The Top 10 list is based on 2020 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional green building projects certified throughout 2021. The full rankings are as follows:
|
Rank |
State |
Certified Gross Square Footage per Capita |
Number of Projects |
|
1 |
Illinois |
3.16 |
87 |
|
2 |
Washington |
2.84 |
92 |
|
3 |
Massachusetts |
2.64 |
88 |
|
4 |
Colorado |
2.34 |
78 |
|
5 |
Virginia |
2.149 |
94 |
|
6 |
California |
2.143 |
431 |
|
7 |
Maryland |
1.95 |
76 |
|
8 |
Oregon |
1.81 |
26 |
|
9 |
Utah |
1.48 |
21 |
|
10 |
Nevada |
1.42 |
9 |
|
** |
Washington, D.C. |
29.46 |
103 |
**Washington, D.C. is not ranked as it is a federal district, not a state
USGBC calculates the list 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. Despite Washington, D.C. not appearing in the official Top 10 list because of its status as a federal territory, it consistently leads the nation in LEED certified square footage per capita and has demonstrated strong leadership in its adoption of LEED. In 2021, the nation’s capital certified 25.3 square feet of space per resident across 92 green building projects.