The City of Lawrence, Kansas, continues to act on its commitment to environmental sustainability and to serving as a leader on healthy, sustainable and low-carbon buildings. The city demonstrated its leadership again in May with the passage of its Sustainable Capital Projects Policy. This policy will reduce Lawrence’s local emissions and help the city achieve cost savings from reduced utility expenses and operations and maintenance costs.

The City Commission’s purpose in adopting the Sustainable Capital Projects Policy was to provide consistent procedures and standards for the sustainable management of siting, design, construction, remodeling, repair, maintenance, operation and deconstruction of city facilities and infrastructure. This will be achieved by using the LEED rating system or the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) Envision’s rating system for qualifying projects. New construction and major renovation of city facilities will now achieve LEED certification, with new construction projects striving to achieve LEED Gold certification.

"With our City Commission’s approval of the Sustainable Capital Projects Policy this week, we continue to make progress on our Strategic Plan and Environmental Sustainability Commitment," says Kathy Richardson, sustainability director, City of Lawrence. "This policy includes sustainability rating systems, LEED and Envision, which will set standards for implementing sustainable practices in design and construction of City facilities and infrastructure."

Lawrence continues to leverage the power of LEED to help meet its goals. It provides a property tax abatement for LEED certification through the Economic Development Policy. Earlier this year, the city began the process of LEED for Cities certification after being selected to join a national cohort supported by the LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program. Now, it is adopting the Sustainable Capital Projects Policy.

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Lawrence, Kansas, leads through a Sustainable Capital Projects Policy