Illinois and Minnesota have always had a reputation as being environmentally friendly states. Now these Midwest states, once again, have the statistics behind them to back up this reputation.
Illinois ranked third among all states when it came to the LEED-certified space it boasted per capita according to a study by the U.S. Green Building Council. Minnesota also performed well, ranking 10th among all states in this study.
Illinois had 2.69 square feet of LEED-certified space for every person to take home the third spot. Ranking ahead of Illinois was the District of Columbia, which 31.50 square feet of LEED-certified space for every person, and Colorado, with 2.74 square feet.
Minnesota — ranking in the top 10 for the second straight year — had 1.81 square feet of LEED-certified space for every person.
This is good news for the Midwest: It’s nice to see states not just talking about green building, but actually putting environmentally friendly techniques into place.