Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sustainability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Boca Raton earns LEED for Cities gold, sustainability manager says
Summary
Sustainability manager Tina Bato Jennings announced Boca Raton earned a LEED for Cities gold certification with 64 points out of 110; the U.S. Green Building Council praised the city’s work on transportation, waste, stormwater and public health.
Tina Bato Jennings, the city’s sustainability manager, told the Boca Raton City Council on Oct. 27 that Boca had achieved gold certification in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Cities program after scoring 64 out of a possible 110 points.
Jennings said the LEED for Cities framework evaluates jurisdiction‑scale performance across energy use, waste diversion, transportation, water efficiency, natural systems and quality of life metrics, and credited staff, volunteers and residents for the work that earned the recognition. Karen Jernigan, director of U.S. Market Transformation and Development at the U.S. Green Building Council, attended and described the program as a roadmap for local governments to measure progress and prioritize sustainable decisions.
Jennings said the scorecard also shows areas where the city can raise its performance and suggested Boca should aim for higher certification at recertification. The presentation named local programs that contributed to the score, including clean‑transportation initiatives, expanded recycling and waste diversion, stormwater improvements and public‑health programming.
The city will continue to pursue incremental gains and said staff will incorporate lessons from the LEED process into future sustainability planning. The council received the certificate during the workshop; staff and the developer presentation later in the meeting focused on separate land‑use and financial matters.
