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Colorado's 'green' building ranking drops on latest LEED list

Posted at 10:47 AM, Feb 01, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-01 12:53:00-05

DENVER - Colorado's reputation for energy-efficient construction was on the decline last year.

The city moved down several spots on the U.S. Green Building Council's list of states with the most "green" building activity in 2017. Colorado was ranked 2nd in 2016 and fell to 10th place on the latest list.

The list ranks states on the amount of square footage per capita that is certified energy efficient under the LEED rating system, a widely-recognized metric for "green" construction.

Colorado saw nearly 11,400,000 LEED-certified square footage in 2017, for a total of 2.27 square feet per resident. That's a bit lower than the state's 3.17 square feet per capita in 2016.

Massachusetts kept its spot atop the LEED list with 4.48 square feet per capita.

Here are the top 10 states for 2017 and their certified gross square feet per capita:

1.    Massachusetts: 4.48 sq. ft. per capita
2.    New York: 3.39 sq. ft. per capita
3.    Illinois: 3.38 sq. ft. per capita
4.    Hawaii: 3.32 sq. ft. per capita
5.    Maryland: 2.75 sq. ft. per capita
6.    Minnesota: 2.45 sq. ft. per capita
7.    Georgia: 2.44 sq. ft. per capita
8.    California: 2.4 sq. ft. per capita
9.    Virginia: 2.32 sq. ft. per capita
10.  Colorado: 2.27 sq. ft. per capita

The USGBC specifically highlighted CU Boulder's Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex, which received LEED "gold" certification last year.

Colorado and Illinois are the only two states that have been included on the list every year since it began in 2010.

To read more, head over to usgbc.org.