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The South Carolina Green Fair is supported by a committee of passionate individuals, who believe that by educating both consumers and businesses through the Green Fair Events it is possible to make South Carolina an even finer place to live! Our purpose is to create excitement and enthusiasm for green products, services and technologies available to the residents of South Carolina using an environmentally responsible forum of education and entertainment. |
From Our Blog
South Carolina Ranks Among Top States for Green Building
According to a press release from the US Green Building Council this year, a review of the top 10 states for LEED-certified green buildings has revealed that South Carolina is one of the top locations for green building efforts. The state ranked sixth with 3.2 square feet of LEED certified building space per person, as Washington D.C. was named the top area with close to 25 square feet per person.
The USGBC used per capita numbers to decipher the LEED rankings, instead of traditional counts such as total square footage and number of projects, simply because it allowed for a better perspective on which states were partaking in the most eco friendly building procedures. South Carolina being listed in the top ten shouldn’t be surprising, seeing as there is such a strong amount of organizational and university dedicated work to improve the green building in the state.
Both the University of South Carolina and Clemson University have dedicated countless hours, money and research in an effort to improve partnerships and commitments to green building. Both schools have even invested time in several building projects on their own, as well as many renovations on their own campuses. University of South Carolina, in particular, has aided in close to 100 different projects related to LEED building, while also being honored for their green residence buildings in 2010.
All around the state, there are a host of great organizations from city to city that are dedicated to improved awareness and follow through with green and LEED building efforts. In Charleston alone, there are an abundance of organizations dedicated to efforts. All of these companies are committed to building LEED certified and green apartments in Charleston. This includes area organizations such as Mixson, Noisette and Hunley Waters, which make up for three of the numerous green building companies based in South Carolina.
By: Lillian Swift
Certainly green building is a major aspect of being eco friendly and sustainability, but this ranking has come after the state has made great strides in multiple areas of being green. Many organizations have dedicated events and strategies to not only increase sustainable habits, but also increase awareness as well. With a total awareness of sustainable strategies continuing to grow, green building efforts have followed. Given the dedication that many throughout the state have shown, hopefully South Carolina can move even closer to the top of the rankings for next year.
The LEED green building system was established to oversee design and construction practices throughout the country. The rankings revealed that for profit organizations had occupied most of the current LEED projects going throughout the country. It was also noted that a majority of the LEED projects are office buildings set to be constructed in the coming months and years.
