LEED for Cities and Communities is a new way forward for resilient, green, inclusive, and smart communities. It provides a globally consistent way to measure and communicate performance. The rating system encompasses sustainability including quality of life, health, prosperity, equity, education, resilience, infrastructure, and energy.

Palm Beach County achieved LEED certification by implementing practical strategies and solutions with measurable outcomes aimed at improving sustainability and the standard of living for residents including:

• Maintaining over 30,000 acres of natural areas in the county. Along with natural areas maintained by federal, state, and other local governments, almost 400,000 acres of South Florida's unique ecosystem are preserved in Palm Beach County
• Founding membership in the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, a four-county collaboration to cooperate on climate change adaptation and mitigation across the region
• Working on reducing the county's per-person greenhouse gas emissions, which are already roughly half the national average

“Palm Beach County is proud to be LEED Gold certified," said Mayor Dave Kerner. “For more than a decade, the county has been dedicated to sustainability and resiliency issues. This award acknowledges the hard work and collaboration across all county departments to tackle these challenges, as well as partnerships with regional stakeholders. LEED Gold certification demonstrates the county's continued commitment to systemic resilience."

“By receiving LEED Gold certification, Palm Beach County takes its place in a global network of more than 100 certified cities and communities," said Commissioner Gregg K. Weiss. “The environmental challenges facing South Florida are complex, multifaceted, and do not recognize political boundaries. The county has long been a strong partner with local stakeholders on all aspects of climate change and sustainability, and this certification reflects that investment and continued commitment in our regional collaboration and a multi-pronged response to the issues we face."

“LEED has been a transformative tool for buildings, and we are now seeing the impact it can have at the city and community level, particularly in key areas of human and environmental health," said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO, USGBC. “By prioritizing issues such as sustainability, resilience, green infrastructure and more, Palm Beach County is leading the way to a better world and helping USGBC continue toward our goal of a sustainable future for all."

Palm Beach County's Office of Resilience will be using the county's LEED Gold certification to help inform its resilience action plan and evaluate focus areas. For more information, please visit www.pbcgov.org/resilience.