Today, the US Green Building Council (USGBC) has confirmed that 12,000 commercial schemes have been awarded their LEED Certification, after Recovery Act’s Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge was given LEED Gold status. The centre will have education facilities, homes for employees and a number of wildlife exhibits, replacing the original refuge which was lost in Hurricane Ike in 2008.

More than 137,000 schemes have now been awarded LEED status, marking them apart for their highly sustainable design features. Rich Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of the USGBC, commented: “Twelve years after the first 12 projects earned LEED certification, the green building community has reached a significant milestone. The momentum for green buildings is rippling around the globe, enhancing the built environment for generations to come.”