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Local Government Leadership Program

USGBC has served as a green building and sustainable development resource to local governments since our inception. We support elected and appointed officials, staff, and community advocates on a range of issues and programs tied to improving the lives of people and the health of our planet.

We established the Local Government Leadership Program to:

• Meaningfully engage with local governments on their sustainability journeys;
• Equip local leaders with the tools they need to be successful in advancing green building and sustainable development in their communities; and
• Inspire ambition and accelerate the pace of sustainability and climate action in cities, towns and counties.

Cohorts & Accelerators

We convene leadership cohorts and accelerators to deliver targeted solutions and support to cities and counties in a trusted peer to peer learning community. Cohorts and accelerators range in topic and can include short term and year-long engagements.

LEED for Cities Certification Cohort

Our annual LEED for Cities certification cohort is an application-based program for local governments who are ready to certify in the LEED v4.1 for Cities & Communities: Existing Cities rating system. This offering is designed for jurisdictions who have the required data and staff capacity to be successful. Cohort participants meet monthly for targeted education and assistance in an effort to build momentum toward institutionalizing sustainability in their local government. They are expected to certify within 12 months of starting the program.

>More than 100 U.S. local governments, representing over 40 million people, have participated in the LEED for Cities Certification Cohort to date.

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Cohort participants

Click the year to view the cohort participants.

  National cohort participants

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Apply

The LEED for Cities Certification Cohort call for applications opens December 1 each year. Local governments can get started with LEED for Cities certification anytime; you do not need to wait for the cohort program to commence. Reach out to us at cities@usgbc.org with questions or to express your intent to apply for the next round.

• 2025 LEED for Cities Certification Cohort - Application Packet
• 2025 National Cohort LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program - Info Packet

LEED for Cities Accelerators

LEED for Cities Accelerators are short-term learning cohorts that help places get oriented to the rating system and how to use the sustainability framework in day-to-day operations. This new offering assists leaders new to LEED for Cities with collecting data, benchmarking sustainability performance, and navigating the certification program.

Meetings are organized around three themes: set goals, measure progress and improve your community and recommended homework items are provided at each meeting for those interested in learning more and increasing their certification readiness.

A Building Decarbonization Policy Accelerator is in the planning stages for 2025.

Education & Events

From webinars and in-person trainings to summits and conferences, we provide thought leadership on global cities issues while offering local leaders the skills and knowledge they need to be successful in the green building and sustainable development arena.

Local Government Leadership Summits

We host leadership summits around the country to convene and connect with local leaders on a range of green building and sustainable development topics, including building decarbonization, climate action plans, LEED for Cities, sustainability education, and green building policy. We encourage local government staff including city and county planners, sustainability and resilience teams, building and facility managers, city/county managers, board and commission members, and elected officials to attend as well as federal, state and regional governments; NGOs; consultants and other companies that engage with local governments in the region. In-person events help us build community and provide a platform to share updates on USGBC products, tools and resources.

Many of our events are in coordination with our USGBC Community activities. We also host workshops tied to partner conferences and events. Reach out to cities@usgbc.org if your organization is interested in adding a local government leadership component to an upcoming event.

Local Government Engagement Calls

Local governments who are USGBC members or are registered/certified in LEED for Cities are invited to quarterly meetings to engage with and learn from one another. The calls feature light and learning centered discussion focused on replicable, best practices and results associated with certification. Email cities@usgbc.org if you would like an invitation or to learn more.

Sign up for our newsletter to stay connected on upcoming events and announcements specific to our local government community. You can also visit USGBC Events for upcoming activities. This educational resource page for local governments is another useful site for our stakeholders.

Bank of America has invested $3.4 million in the Local Government Leadership Program to date and collectively we have supported more than 100 local governments representing 40+ million people in the certification cohort. This partnership has helped 5 aspiring sustainability and equity professionals jump start careers through fellowships and mentorships at USGBC.

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Sponsor

We invite additional sponsors and partners to this program. Please download our sponsor prospectus to learn how you can contribute to our program’s success.

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Learn more

There are many other ways that local leaders can engage with USGBC. Read USGBC & Local Governments: Solutions for Urban Sustainability to learn how. Listen to our podcast or read our article about the leadership program’s recent expansion and offerings. Visit the LEED for Cities page for rating system specific resources.