Lincoln has become the first city in Nebraska to earn the highest level of certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Cities and Communities program.
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced Thursday that Lincoln has achieved LEED Platinum certification, making it one of 10 cities nationwide to reach the Platinum level under the program’s current rating system. “This makes Lincoln the first city in Nebraska, and only the 10th in the nation, to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, the highest level possible,” Gaylor Baird said.
Unlike LEED certification for an individual building, LEED for Cities evaluates an entire community. The program measures performance across environmental, economic and social indicators, including energy and water, transportation, climate action, public health, quality of life, economic opportunity, resilience and governance.
Lincoln Chief Sustainability Officer Kim Morrow said the certification process took nearly a year and involved extensive data collection, analysis and reporting. Lincoln received its highest score in the energy and greenhouse gas emissions category, earning 26 of 30 possible points. Morrow said community-wide emissions have declined 30% since 2011, a reduction she said largely reflects Lincoln Electric System investments in wind and hydropower. Those sources now make up 51% of the energy supply LES owns.
The city also pointed to several other efforts included in its certification. More than 99% of Lincoln’s 33,165 streetlights have been converted to high-efficiency LEDs, and 89% of residents live within a half-mile of a park or multi-use trail.
The Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch has protected 6,000 acres of land, including nearly 2,900 acres of native tallgrass prairie. Lincoln also earned all six available innovation credits, with projects including LeadSafe Lincoln, which is on track to replace 1,500 lead or galvanized water lines at no cost to homeowners.
U.S. Green Building Council Vice President of Sustainable Cities Hilari Varnadore said the certification measures more than the number of green buildings in a community. “We were measuring the jurisdiction’s approach to sustainability and resilience,” Varnadore said. “So everything across the entire community.”
Morrow said the certification will provide the city with a benchmark for future work and help guide the next update to Lincoln’s Climate Action Plan. “This certification is not a finish line,” Morrow said. “It is rather a strong foundation for us to build on.”