Oakland County announced as Certified Green Community Award winner
The U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan (USGBC-WM) announces Oakland County as the 2024 Certified Green Community Award winner for their LEED for Cities Gold certification. The Green Community Award recognizes exemplary projects that have made extraordinary contributions to achieving healthy, energy-efficient green buildings and are advantageous to the development of their surrounding communities.
Oakland County, located north of Detroit, is 908 square miles and is home to 1.27 million people. The County’s mission is to serve through collaborative leadership and to help support communities where residents flourish and businesses thrive.
Their vision is to be a healthy, safe, and thriving place where everyone is valued, quality of life is high, and economic opportunity abounds.
Their values include collaborative leadership, fiscal responsibility, results-oriented, respect for people as individuals, service excellence, social justice, and transparent and ethical government.
Their eight strategic goals are a Thriving and Inclusive Economy; Healthy Residents; Skilled & Educated Workforce; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Livable Neighborhoods; Environmental Sustainability; Public Safety & Fairness in the Criminal Justice System; and Organizational Excellence.
In July 2024, Oakland County proudly achieved the prestigious LEED for Cities Gold Certification, marking a significant milestone in its ongoing commitment to sustainability. This certification reflects the county’s successful implementation of sustainable practices across multiple sectors, including energy efficiency, equity, green spaces, and climate resiliency. The goal of the project was to obtain LEED for Cities certification, and the team was thrilled to surpass expectations, earning the Gold level—a testament to the county’s existing sustainability programs and initiatives.
The project showcased the value of collaboration and data-driven decision-making in achieving sustainable outcomes. Oakland County’s core sustainability team, led by Erin Quetell, Chief Sustainability Officer, played a pivotal role in the LEED application process. Julie Lyons Bricker, LEED AP O+M, led the project, supported by Kelly Humes and Courtney Roy, who facilitated outreach and data collection within the relevant internal departments. The LEED for Cities team consisted of several departments including facilities, parks and recreation, planning, DEI, justice services, health & human services, emergency management, the water resource commission, the county executive’s office, the county board of commissioners, as well as the office of sustainability. These departments helped them score their greenhouse gas emissions, resiliency & emergency preparedness, equity & justice programs, accessibility, green space, water quality, stormwater & wastewater management, and quality of life metrics.
One of the core team’s favorite parts was the initial team creation meeting with all relevant departments to break down any existing silos and build relationships and buy-in at the beginning of the project. Another notable part of the certification process was digging into their accomplishments, projects, and policies and identifying sustainability gaps for future initiatives.
Looking forward, Oakland County has a goal of reducing government operations greenhouse gases by 50% by 2035 and a long-term goal of net zero carbon by 2050. The Office of Sustainability is focused on meeting those greenhouse gas reduction goals through close collaboration with the facilities, operations, and maintenance team. Additionally, the office intends to advance sustainable materials management programs, including more recycling and organic waste management opportunities, as well as internal procurement policies. The office is planning to conduct a GHG inventory update, evaluate county-wide climate vulnerability, and enhance community outreach and engagement around local climate and sustainability efforts. The County has also purchased several buildings and properties in downtown Pontiac, the County’s seat, to move over 500 employees to downtown Pontiac and redevelop existing buildings and infrastructure. The design will include various sustainable attributes and is in the design and concept phase.
The team would not have been able to accomplish the certification without the help of all those listed above. The team sends a huge thank you to fellow staff who helped them achieve the award! Another huge thank you goes out to David Abell, USGBC’s Senior Manager, at LEED for Cities for all his guidance in the tracking and reporting of their data.
Oakland County was awarded at our 2024 Annual Party & Leadership Awards Ceremony on December 5, 2024. Hosted by the U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan, the evening event was held at the High Five in downtown Grand Rapids. The program included a keynote address by Sandra Lupien, Director, MassTimber@MSU, the Leadership Awards Ceremony, and the celebration of this year’s achievements.
In addition to receiving the Green Community Award, Oakland County received the 2024 Community Impact Award through USGBC Detroit’s Local Leadership Awards.
To learn more about the event and to read our 2024 Annual Report visit our Annual Party & Leadership Awards Ceremony Page.