Philly's gearing up to go green, big time – the City of Brotherly Love has just snagged a spot on a prestigious national program focusing on sustainability and climate strategies. The U.S. Green Building Council, the brains behind LEED certifications that are the Oscars of eco-friendly buildings, has given Philly and 11 other local governments a nod for their dedication to going green. The coveted slot in the 2024 LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program is no small potatoes – it's a chance to make real progress on sustainability, resilience, and equity, according to the City of Philadelphia.
So what's in store for Philadelphia? The program's not just about bragging rights, it's got some serious perks like elbow-rubbing with fellow green-thinkers across the country, getting expert advice on how to make the city more sustainable, and grabbing educational resources that'll help boost their LEED creds. And they're in good company – cities like Overland Park, KS, Coral Springs, FL, and New Orleans, LA are also on the list, which together represents nearly five million Americans trying to make their hometowns better for the planet, as per the City of Philadelphia.
This isn't Philly's first rodeo with LEED either. Since 2009, they've been using LEED ratings to up the green game of municipal buildings, with a current ordinance demanding all new large projects to hit Gold-level on the LEED for Building Design and Construction scale. It shows the city's not just talking the talk; they’ve been walking the walk for a while now.
Aside from shining up its sustainability badge, the City of Philadelphia will be rolling up its sleeves to tackle climate resilience and social equity head-on as part of this program, it's serious about using the LEED for Cities rating system to measure up against other cities and track its progress. The Office of Sustainability means business as well, they regularly organize training for the LEED pros so that staff working on the qualifying projects are all up to scratch on the latest in green building design.
