Green Neighborhoods

If the thought of living in a green home thrills you, how about living in a green neighborhood?

Well, good news! The USGBC is about to make it easier for green home enthusiasts to borrow that ever-elusive cup of (organic) sugar from their neighbor.

Combining the principles of new urbanism and green building (in a partnership between the U.S. Green Building Council, Congress for the New Urbanism and the Natural Resources Defense Council), the LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System is a pilot program that applies LEED standards to whole community developments. And it's getting us excited.

According to their web site, the system "recognizes development projects that successfully protect and enhance the overall health, natural environment, and quality of life of our communities. The rating system encourages smart growth and new urbanist best practices, promoting the design of neighborhoods that reduce vehicle miles traveled and communities where jobs and services are accessible by foot or public transit. It promotes more efficient energy and water use — especially important in urban areas where infrastructure is often overtaxed."

In other words, LEED for Neighborhood Development is taking us back in time, in a good way. Or, as the DailyGreen put it, they're "bringing back the neighborhood!"

This partnership makes perfect sense, as the organizational tenets of new urbanism (emphasizing shared space and walkability in a community) are actually quite green on their own.

And we aren't the only ones who think so: According to the DailyGreen, 238 developments in 39 states and six other countries have signed up to be in the pilot program.

Not a bad start! We'll be following this one closely.