Mass Moving on Up at #3: Top LEED State in the Nation

By Celis Brisbin, Programs Manager

U.S. Green Building Council Announces Massachusetts is Third State in the Nation for LEED Washington, D.C. — (Jan 26, 2016) — Today, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its national ranking of the top states in the country for LEED green building and Massachusetts is the third state in the nation for 2015. The rankings come at an important time for states looking to reduce their energy use. 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.

“The State of Massachusetts is a nationwide leader in green building and LEED certification. LEED creates jobs and increases opportunities for Massachusetts’s workers and businesses while contributing billions of dollars to the state’s economy,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair of USGBC. “LEED has become an essential standard for the transformation of building design and construction. LEED certified buildings drive economic growth, creates jobs and makes communities healthier.”  

The annual ranking is developed by analyzing each state in terms of square feet of LEED certified space per state resident. Now in its sixth year, the list highlights states throughout the country that made significant strides in sustainable building design, construction and transformation throughout 2015. Massachusetts certified 112 projects representing 19,850,624 square feet of real estate, or 3.03 square feet per resident, in 2015.

“Massachusetts' innovative spirit and champion attitude drive performance in our building sector,” said Grey Lee, executive director, USGBC-Massachusetts Chapter. “The USGBC Massachusetts Chapter is proud to represent the high-achievement professionals of the green building industry who have worked hard on the creation of LEED certified space. From major existing building retrofits to the creative design of new and resilient structures, our professionals and advocates are supporting the implementation of best practices in real estate and ensuring Massachusetts remains the market with the best investment opportunities in the country.”

In addition, data from USGBC’s 2015 Green Building Economic Impact Study show LEED construction is expected to support 155,000 total jobs in Massachusetts and have a total impact on GDP of $13.6 billion from 2015-2018.

A few notable projects that certified in Massachusetts in 2015 include: 

• Boston Logan ConRAC-Phase 1; LEED Gold 
• Troy Boston; LEED Gold 
• One Financial Center; LEED Gold 
• New Douglas Elementary School in Douglas; LEED Silver

The full ranking of the top 10 states for 2015 includes: 

Rank 

1. Illinois 
2. Maryland 
3. Massachusetts 
4. Washington 
5. Colorado 
6. Nevada 
7. California 
8. Texas 
9. Virginia 
10. Utah 

• Washington, D.C. (not ranked as it is a federal district, not a state)

Collectively, 1,633 commercial and institutional projects became LEED certified within the Top 10 States in 2015, representing 274.9 million square feet of real estate. Worldwide, 4,837 projects were certified in 2015, representing 818.9 million square feet. Nearly 75,000 projects representing 14.4 billion square feet of space have been LEED-certified to date.

USGBC calculates the list using per-capita figures as a measure of the human element of green building. This also allows for fair comparisons among states with significant differences in population and number of buildings.