Green Government Certification

On April 26, 2010, it became official -- St. Lucie was certified as a 'Green County,' joining the ranks of only four other Florida Counties to receive this prestigious recognition from the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC). ( http://www.floridagreenbuilding.com )

The FGBC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the built environment whose mission is to lead and promote economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The FGBC uses a standard of criteria to evaluate performance in implementing policies and programs in the areas of energy, water, air, land, waste, and education/awareness.  St. Lucie County submitted a several-hundred-page application to the FGBC in September, 2009. It was evaluated using a point system, with St. Lucie County achieving 'Gold' level certification for its exceptional stewardship and sustainability initiatives. 

Many of the policies and programs that led to St. Lucie's gold level score had already been in place for some time prior to initiating the certification process, including the environmentally significant lands program, innovative land planning codes and policies, energy retrofits, and numerous educational and community outreach programs.  Additional credits were earned from recently adopted policies and programs, including the County's implementation of environmentally preferred purchasing standards, green cleaning and landscaping policies, databases to track green certified buildings, and an Energy and Water Manager position to coordinate green programs and track resultant cost savings. Two programs that earned special recognition for their innovation and significance were the Green Collar Workforce training program and Community Service's program for retrofitting rehabilitated homes using energy and water efficient technologies.

Sustainability Resolution 06-272 was adopted on October 10, 2006 by the Commission to demonstrate a significant commitment to sustainability on the part of St. Lucie County.

What is the Green Local Government Standard?

The FGBC Green Local Government Standard designates Green Cities and Green Counties for outstanding environmental stewardship. It is expected that certified green city and county governments will not only gain recognition and publicity, but also function in a more efficient manner through better internal communication, cost reductions, and effective risk and asset management. FGBC is actively working toward the availability of incentives that are based on compliance with this standard. The FGBC Green Local Government Standard designates Green Cities and Green County. The Green Government standard can be viewed at: http://www.floridagreenbuilding.org/local-governments

St. Lucie County Green Local Government Progress
		Determined criteria applicable to St. Lucie County's government.
		Conducted a local government assessment review in cooperation with departments.
		Conducted a local government evaluation.
		Scheduled implementation meeting to outline path towards qualification.
		Submit application and all necessary documentation to FGBC for evaluation.
		Gold Certification Completed.