In Memorium of a Green Building Champion: Mayor Tom Menino

by John Dalzell, Boston Redevelopment Authority; USGBC National Board of Directors

Remembering Mayor Thomas M. Menino

Before LEED and USGBC became a globe movement, Mayor Menino set Boston on a path to lead the nation in green building.  From the 2007 first-in-the-nation green building zoning requiring large scale projects to meet LEED certification, to promoting green affordable housing, to greening municipal buildings and operations, Mayor Menino transformed practices and the local market place.  And from hosting the 2008 GreenBuild Conference, which brought 28,000 sustainability leaders to Boston, to partnering with the Center for Green Schools to place a sustainability Fellow within the Boston Public School system, the Mayor brought green building to every citizen and student.

Today, Boston is home to over 150 LEED Certified Projects spanning almost 40 million square feet of building and including the first ever E+ (energy positive) LEED Platinum homes.  In the process, Mayor Menino taught us "it's not just about the buildings themselves - its about the people inside."  Although Mayor Menino's leadership will be missed; his inspiration will carry us forward.

Below: at the LEED ceremony for Atlantic Wharf, Boston's first LEED Platinum Skyscraper