City of Scottsdale Makes LEED Buildings a Requirement

The Mayor of Scottsdale, Arizona has signed Resolution 6644, requiring all new public buildings to be certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

This Resolution is the first city-wide resolution in the country to require LEED Gold.

“This is a historic moment for Scottsdale, for Arizona, and for the green building movement,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The City of Scottsdale is to be commended for their leadership and vision.”

The City Council passed Resolution 6644 following the success of the Scottsdale Green Building Program, which was developed to encourage the use of environmentally responsible building.

The LEED Green Building Rating System is a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. LEED Certified buildings provide benefits spanning from environmental to economic including the protection of local ecosystems, the conservation of natural resources, reduced building operating costs, enhanced asset value and profits, superior indoor air quality, and increased occupant health and productivity.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System(TM) is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building.

The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 5,5000 member companies and organizations, a 50-person professional staff, a broad portfolio of LEED products and services, the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, and a network of 67 local chapters, affiliates, and organizing groups.