Where Does Your State Rank?
The month of January is always rife with lists that reflect upon the previous year—from the “best of” to “most-read” to “top” of just about anything.
In this particular case, we’re looking at how the country did in 2011 when it came to LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita. The U.S. Green Building Council released its Top 10 states for LEED projects, noting among newly certified projects the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, Maryland (Maryland was #6 on the Top 10 list).
The Anne Arundel Medical Center achieved LEED Gold certification after its opening in April 2011. If you're looking for inspiration, here are some of the green efforts made during design and construction that have been credited for its certification:
- 16,700-square-foot living roof, replacing the traditional asphalt roof.
- 33% savings in water thanks to low-flow fixtures and utilization of native plantings that thrive with little water, thus eliminating the need for irrigation systems.
- 18% to 20% energy conservation by installing a highly efficient HVAC system, including chillers and chiller plant controls and a dehumidification system.
- 90% energy conservation on lights alone in operating rooms by implementing LED lights.
- 1,750 tons of waste were diverted during construction from the landfill—a 93.3% recycling rate.
- 2,100 pounds of alkaline batteries and 7,000 pounds of UPS batteries were collected and recycled in 2010.
- 87% of the steel in the facility's beams and columns is scrap, recycled by a steel company a short drive from the facility.
So how did your state stack up against the rest in 2011? Here’s the USGBC’s Top 10 list (based on total square footage of LEED-certified space and square footage of LEED-certified space per capita),
One note, though: The District of Columbia beat out the states with its 18,954,022 square feet of LEED-certified space and 31.5 square feet per capita.
- Colorado—13,803,113 square feet, 2.74 per capita
- Illinois—34,567,585 square feet, 2.69 per capita
- Virginia—19,358,193 square feet, 2.42 per capita
- Washington—14,667,558 square feet, 2.18 per capita
- Maryland—11,970,869 square feet, 2.07 per capita
- Massachusetts—13,087,625 square feet, 2 per capita
- Texas—50,001,476 square feet, 1.99 per capita
- California—71,551,296 square feet, 1.92 per capita
- New York—36,538,981 square feet, 1.89 per capita
- Minnesota—9,591,445 square feet, 1.81 per capita