USGBC Announces 2023 LEED for Cities Leadership Program Cohort
April 13, 2023 at 10:00 AM Eastern
Partnership with Bank of America reaches 90 local governments validating progress on sustainability, resilience, and equity goals with addition of new cohort
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), developers of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system, has announced the 2023 cohort of 13 cities selected to participate in its LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program. The program aims to help local governments set goals, collect data, and validate performance through LEED for Cities certification.
“The 13 cities selected for this year’s LEED for Cities cohort are joining dozens of other communities across the U.S. that are setting and tracking goals towards better sustainability, resilience, and quality of life,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “City and county governments understand the climate challenges their communities face and are using the LEED for Cities framework to ensure measurable progress is made in addressing them.”
“Buildings and communities have the ability to regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of those who inhabit them,” said Alex Liftman, Global Environmental Executive at Bank of America. “USGBC is at the forefront of driving the development of green buildings and spaces, and through our long-standing partnership we have seen the creation of more prosperous, resilient, and equitable communities. We are looking forward to seeing these 13 cities’ hard-work and action result in LEED for Cities certification.”
The 2023 cohort joins 77 local governments that have participated in the program since its inception. The program attracts diverse participants – from local governments using the framework to engage stakeholders and initiate plans to those seeking recognition for their accomplishments against established goals. Cities participating in this round have expressed their intent to use LEED for Cities certification results to attract federal grant dollars for initiatives supporting community resilience and advancing social equity in line with the White House Justice40 initiative.
This leadership cohort brings together diverse local governments from around the U.S. to pursue LEED for Cities certification. The program provides peer-to-peer networking opportunities, technical assistance and access to educational resources, and covers fees for USGBC membership, registration and certification reviews for participating governments.
The 2023 cohort of cities represents a population of nearly 3.5 million Americans. The cities are:
As of today, more than 125 local governments have achieved LEED for Cities certification and nearly 200 are in the LEED process. The LEED for Cities system provides a road map to help jurisdictions evaluate and track progress on economic, environmental and social conditions. Certification helps local governments achieve meaningful results such as attracting new economic activity, reaching global climate goals, improving air and water quality, and enhancing quality of life for all.
In 2022, Bank of America and USGBC established the program’s Equity Fellow position, a one-year grant funded role for a person from an underrepresented community interested in working at the intersection of social equity, sustainability and the built environment.
Bank of America has been a partner of USGBC and a member since 1997. Since 2011 it has provided over $4.1 million in total grant funding to the non-profit. It also has integrated sustainability into its building design standards since 2005 and used those standards to deliver workspaces that are LEED certified across its global footprint. The company has nearly 18 million square feet of certified green building space (25% of its corporate real estate) and has a goal to achieve certification for 40% of its space by 2030.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).
Deisy Verdinez, U.S. Green Building Council
dverdinez@usbc.org
Sheryl Lee, Bank of America
Phone: 1.657.234.9950
sheryl.lee2@bofa.com
April 13, 2023 at 10:00 AM Eastern
USGBC Announces 2023 LEED for Cities Leadership Program Cohort
Partnership with Bank of America reaches 90 local governments validating progress on sustainability, resilience, and equity goals with addition of new cohort
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), developers of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system, has announced the 2023 cohort of 13 cities selected to participate in its LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program. The program aims to help local governments set goals, collect data, and validate performance through LEED for Cities certification.
“The 13 cities selected for this year’s LEED for Cities cohort are joining dozens of other communities across the U.S. that are setting and tracking goals towards better sustainability, resilience, and quality of life,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “City and county governments understand the climate challenges their communities face and are using the LEED for Cities framework to ensure measurable progress is made in addressing them.”
“Buildings and communities have the ability to regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of those who inhabit them,” said Alex Liftman, Global Environmental Executive at Bank of America. “USGBC is at the forefront of driving the development of green buildings and spaces, and through our long-standing partnership we have seen the creation of more prosperous, resilient, and equitable communities. We are looking forward to seeing these 13 cities’ hard-work and action result in LEED for Cities certification.”
The 2023 cohort joins 77 local governments that have participated in the program since its inception. The program attracts diverse participants – from local governments using the framework to engage stakeholders and initiate plans to those seeking recognition for their accomplishments against established goals. Cities participating in this round have expressed their intent to use LEED for Cities certification results to attract federal grant dollars for initiatives supporting community resilience and advancing social equity in line with the White House Justice40 initiative.
This leadership cohort brings together diverse local governments from around the U.S. to pursue LEED for Cities certification. The program provides peer-to-peer networking opportunities, technical assistance and access to educational resources, and covers fees for USGBC membership, registration and certification reviews for participating governments.
The 2023 cohort of cities represents a population of nearly 3.5 million Americans. The cities are:
As of today, more than 125 local governments have achieved LEED for Cities certification and nearly 200 are in the LEED process. The LEED for Cities system provides a road map to help jurisdictions evaluate and track progress on economic, environmental and social conditions. Certification helps local governments achieve meaningful results such as attracting new economic activity, reaching global climate goals, improving air and water quality, and enhancing quality of life for all.
In 2022, Bank of America and USGBC established the program’s Equity Fellow position, a one-year grant funded role for a person from an underrepresented community interested in working at the intersection of social equity, sustainability and the built environment.
Bank of America has been a partner of USGBC and a member since 1997. Since 2011 it has provided over $4.1 million in total grant funding to the non-profit. It also has integrated sustainability into its building design standards since 2005 and used those standards to deliver workspaces that are LEED certified across its global footprint. The company has nearly 18 million square feet of certified green building space (25% of its corporate real estate) and has a goal to achieve certification for 40% of its space by 2030.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Bank of America is one of the world’s leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 68 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 3,900 retail financial centers, approximately 15,000 ATMs (automated teller machines) and award-winning digital banking with approximately 56 million verified digital users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business households through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations across the United States, its territories and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BAC).
Deisy Verdinez, U.S. Green Building Council
dverdinez@usbc.org
Sheryl Lee, Bank of America
Phone: 1.657.234.9950
sheryl.lee2@bofa.com
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