The USGBC, a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable and green building design, has announced that Ohio leads the nation in LEED certified public schools.

The U.S. Green Building Council has reported that the state of Ohio leads the nation in LEED certified public schools, recently certifying their 100th school, with many more in the works.

"The Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) and the entire state of Ohio are national leaders in creating healthy, sustainable schools," said Rachel Gutter, director of the Center for Green Schools at USGBC. "Since 2007, we've watched the OSFC successfully grow a program that shows LEED is working for Ohio "?u these schools are saving money, energy and resources. Ohio shows a deep commitment to the well-being of its students, teachers and communities through the use of LEED."

LEED is the world's premier benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Since 2007, the OSFC has required the design of each school building it funds to at least seek LEED Silver certification, with the goal of achieving Gold.

Monroe Central High School of the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District in Monroe County became the 100th public education facility in Ohio to achieve LEED, receiving a Silver certification. Of the 100 certifications, 44 schools have exceeded LEED Silver, earning LEED Gold or Platinum.

OSFC Executive Director Richard Hickman called the announcement "exciting, and certainly a statement on how Ohio has embraced environmentally friendly design. These projects, which represent a commitment to both our schoolchildren and the future of our environment, are the direct result of innovative teamwork from architects, construction managers, trade contractors and our project partners, the local school districts. I commend them for their accomplishments."

A complete listing of the LEED schools can be found on the OSFC website, osfc.ohio.gov. For more information about LEED, please visit usgbc.org.

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