Houston was celebrated on Tuesday for its green building efforts – thanks in part to HISD and new schools built over the past five years under the 2007 bond program.

Roger Platt, senior vice president of Global Policy and Law at the U.S. Green Building Council, joined Houston Mayor Annise Parker and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier at Cunningham Elementary School to mark Texas being ranked among the top 10 states for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification in 2012.

Left to right: Roger Platt of the U.S. Green Building Council, Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and HISD Superintendent Terry Grier. Click image to see more photos from the event.

“We’re celebrating that Texans have begun to demand more from these buildings and have fueled the birth of a new green building marketplace,” Platt said.

Cunningham Elementary recently earned the USGBC’s highest LEED ranking – Gold certification. In October, the Gulf Coast Chapter of the USGBC presented HISD with its Green Pioneer Award.

“We are excited to be part of this green school movement,” Grier said. “When we build schools, we want to see these schools green certified.”

Mayor Parker said she was proud to be in partnership with HISD, which will be constructing all new buildings under the 2012 bond program to LEED standards. She said HISD is raising a generation of leaders who believe that caring about a carbon footprint is important.

Learn more about HISD’s green building efforts

“Thanks to the voters of Houston in our recent election, we are going to be transforming public buildings across this community,” Parker said.

USGBC’s per-capita list of states is based on 2010 U.S. Census data and includes commercial and institutional buildings certified under LEED. Houston is ranked fourth in the nation for the most LEED-certified buildings owned and operated by local government.

Nearly 700 students attend Cunningham Elementary School, which opened in January 2012 after being rebuilt under HISD’s 2007 bond program.