The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the leading authority on green building and the global developer of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building program, has announced that Coral Springs was chosen as one of 12 cities to participate in its LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program for 2024.
 
Coral Springs was selected for its commitment to citywide sustainably, most notably the implementation of the city’s Sustainability Action Plan, which was adopted in 2022. Participation in the program will help to further facilitate the action plan, which has served as a guide for citywide environmental programs such as residental composting, curbside recycling, Race to Zero greenhouse gas emission reduction, and more.
 
“Our selection for this program advances Coral Springs’ commitment to transparent, data-driven decision making,” said Dr. Andrea Lemaitre, Coral Springs Sustainability Manager, “The LEED for Cities Certification will highlight our progress as a sustainable community, benchmark our work with other communities across the state and country, and provide a comprehensive report with which to advance future endeavors. We look forward to convening with and learning from other cities in the program and the USGBC.” 
 
The program also helps local governments set goals, collect data, and validate performance against sustainability and quality of life metrics using the LEED for Cities rating system, revolutionizing the way cities and communities are planned, developed, and operated to improve their overall sustainability and quality of life. The program also provides peer-to-peer networking opportunities, technical assistance, and access to educational resources.
 
Coral Springs was also selected to the program based on its strong desire to obtain the LEED for Cities certification — a designation that would signal to the nation our commitment to good envinromental practices and that would serve as a foundation for data-driven decision making, cross-agency coordination, budgeting, performance management, economic development, and more.