The City of Carrollton is stepping up its green game, joining an exclusive batch of cities aiming to spruce up sustainability efforts nationwide. The U.S. Green Building Council, pioneers of the LEED green building program, welcomed Carrollton among 11 other cities to kick-start their path to becoming eco-friendly urban spaces, according to the City of Carrollton, Texas.
In a bid to actively combat climate change and boost resilience and social equity, these cities have chosen to carefully measure and manage their ecological footprint. The LEED for Cities program handpicked this year's cohort, enabling local governments like Carrollton to rigorously track various sustainability metrics—from energy consumption to water use and greenhouse gas emissions. Notably, Bank of America has been in cahoots with the USGBC since 2017, sponsoring the initiative that now aids over 100 municipalities.
Representing some 5 million Americans, the cities range from the densely populated Philadelphia, with over 1.5 million people, to the smaller La Crosse, Wisconsin, hosting around 52,000 residents. "The City of Carrollton is excited to participate in the 2024 leadership cohort," said Cory Heiple, Director of Carrollton’s Environmental Services. According to the City of Carrollton, Texas, Heiple emphasized the program's role in shaping strategies to tackle environmental challenges harrowing local governments across the U.S.
Through its new status, Carrollton is poised to streamline its sustainability vision into tangible outcomes—developing into an environment that's not just greener, but also more cost-effective. The LEED certification process encourages participating cities to meticulously organize environmental data, increasing the odds of net funding for burgeoning projects, as detailed in the city press release.
Efforts in Carrollton pre-certification are nothing to scoff at, with the city having integrated a fleet of 20 electric vehicles that slash annual fuel usage by a staggering 22,000 gallons. More so, community-oriented actions have led to cleaner waterways, with over 1,700 bags of trash pulled from them thanks to volunteer hands. Furthermore, via a collaboration between local departments and Metrocrest Services, Carrollton has provided a helping hand to over 563 individuals since 2020, steering them from homelessness toward permanent shelter.
