A couple of months ago we told you about a huge milestone the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) reached with one billion square feet of LEED-certified space. Recently, the USGBC announced that over 10,000 homes in the nation have attained LEED certification through the LEED for Homes program.

Nate Kredich, vice president of residential market development for the USGBC, said “Reaching this milestone signifies the continued transformation of the home building industry towards high-performing, healthy homes that save home owners money. Market leaders across the production, multifamily, affordable and custom home segments have recognized that there are green homes, and then there are LEED Homes, and they are acting accordingly.”

The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Salishan 7 project took place earlier this year. The Salishan 7 project was the 10,000th project to receive certification through LEED for Homes.

Green Building Pro reports that since the program’s launch back in 2008, 10,161 homes have been certified. The 10,000^th home to earn LEED certification was the Tacoma Housing Authority’s 91-unit development, Salishan 7. That project was also the first federally funded HOPE VI Redevelopment project to achieve LEED Platinum status.

This is a huge moment in the LEED for Homes program and Trilogy Partners is thrilled to have contributed to over 10,000 homes becoming LEED-certified!

Photo credit: Tacoma Housing Authority.

You may recall that a few days ago we told you that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) named Denver the “greenest” city in the U.S. Just a few days ago, the USGBC released the list of the “Top 10 States for LEED Green Buildings,” and we are excited to see that Colorado placed in the top 10!

The USGBC based the list of the top 10 states for LEED certified buildings per capita on information collected from the 2010 U.S. Census, according to a USGBC press release. Scot Horst, the USGBC senior vice president of LEED, said “Using per capita, versus the more traditional numbers of projects, or pure square footage, is a reminder to all of us that the people who live and work, learn and play in buildings should be what we care about the most. 2010 was a difficult year for most of the building industry, but in many areas, the hunger for sustainable development kept the markets moving.”

The top LEED states per capita, including the District of Columbia, are as follows:

Colorado is one of the top 10 states for LEED certified buildings!

• District of Columbia
• Nevada
• New Mexico
• New Hampshire
• Oregon
• South Carolina
• Washington
• Illinois
• Arkansas
• Colorado
• Minnesota

Here at Trilogy Partners, we’re proud to do our part in creating LEED certified, sustainable, green homes. We think it’s awesome that Colorado placed in the top 10, and we look forward to continue building more LEED certified homes!

Photo credit: U.S. Green Building Council Colorado Chapter.

Our neighbors in Denver have something to celebrate – the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has named Denver the “greenest” city in the U.S. According to Editor at Large, almost 30 projects in Denver have achieved LEED green building certification since last year, and two of those projects attained the highest LEED rating, LEED Platinum.

Deb Kleinman, the executive director of the Colorado Chapter of the USGBC said “Colorado’s culture of sustainability and conservation are a part of its DNA; individual cities… clearly understand the importance of green building as a part of that culture.”

Denver was recently named the "greenest" city in the U.S. by the USGBC.

There are many noteworthy LEED certified buildings in the Denver area, including the Wells Fargo Center, the Colorado Convention Center, and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Building. Scot Horst, senior vice president of LEED USGBC, said “The LEED green building program sets the benchmark for what is possible with high-performing buildings. Denver has been a pioneer in the green building efforts, setting examples and showcasing new innovation with its many LEED projects.”

We here at Trilogy Partners think it’s great that our neighbors in Denver are doing their part to create green and sustainable structures. Since Denver has been named the “greenest” city in America, we think Colorado could have the potential to become the “greenest state” in the country!

Photo credit: Denver-travel-services.com.

LEED for Homes could see changes in the future. Eco Home magazine reports that revised LEED for Homes requirements are projected to be released in November 2012. The purpose for the LEED for Homes updates is to create a more streamlined certification process that will reduce paperwork and shift to a performance-based criteria.

LEED for Homes Technical Development Manager Asa Foss said during the 2010 Greenbuild conference that “LEED has always pushed codes… And whenever we stretch the LEED requirements we try to balance how far to go and how fast.”

Some of the proposed changes include the following:

• Changing the certification points scale from 136 points to 100 points to align with other rating systems.
• Updating Energy and Atmosphere credits to meet new Energy Star for Homes Version 3.0 requirements.
• Requiring all projects to complete Energy Star 3.0 HVAC inspection checklists.

Eco Home magazine also reports that this new approach to LEED-certification would “reward design decisions that affect performance in ways that a prescriptive path can’t, and offer fairer comparisons between homes – including existing homes.”

What do you think about the proposed changes for LEED for Homes? Share your thoughts with us! If you would like more information on LEED for Homes, please visit www.ecohomemagazine.com or www.usgbc.org.

Photo credit: Ecohomemagazine.com.

The beauty of the area compels residents to think about the earth when building a home, and more and more homes are showcasing incredible ways to incorporate sustainable living into your new residence.

The winners of the U.S. Green Building Council’s 2009 LEED for Homes Awards are being spotlighted for incorporating solar-electric power, energy-efficient windows, and other green aspects from the inside out. The U.S. Green Building Council’s Nate Kredich says: “These innovators will help transform the market toward more healthy, high performing homes that are regarded as some of the best in the country.”

Naomi C. O. Beal Photography

Watch the EcoHome slideshow of award-winning homes and get inspired when making plans for your next home or renovation!