News Flash

Winston-Salem has received LEED Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Cities program in recognition of the city’s efforts to implement strategies to improve sustainability and the standard of living for residents.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The LEED program was created by the U.S. Green Building Council and is the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

The LEED program offers four levels of recognition: LEED Certified, LEED Silver, LEED Gold and LEED Platinum. In earning LEED Silver status, Winston-Salem earned 56 points out of a possible 110 in such areas as energy, water, waste, transportation, education, health, safety, and equitability. 

The city’s highest-scoring areas were regional priority (four out of four possible points), innovation (five out of 6 points), water efficiency (eight out of 11 points) and natural systems and ecology (six out of nine points), said Helen Peplowski, the city’s sustainability director. 

“We are pleased that we earned LEED Silver on our first attempt at LEED certification,” Peplowski said. “This initial effort gives us a roadmap for how we can do even better in 2027 when are up for recertification.”

In achieving LEED certification, Winston-Salem joins a growing number of cities and communities that are participating in the LEED program, said Peter Templeton, the president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Cities that achieve LEED certification develop responsible, sustainable and specific plans for green energy, water, waste, transportation and many other factors that contribute to quality of life, such as equity, education, resilience, infrastructure and more,” Templeton said. “By prioritizing issues such as sustainability, resilience, green infrastructure and more, Winston-Salem is helping create a sustainable future for all its residents.”

More information about the city’s LEED Silver certification and a link to the U.S. Green Building Council website can be found on the Sustainability Initiatives webpage.