Canada topped the U.S. Green Building Council’s list of the top 10 countries for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) outside of the United States. The list ranks countries based on cumulative gross square metres (GSM) of LEED-certified space as of April 2014.

Canada currently has 17.74 million GSM of LEED-certified space and 4,068 LEED-certified and registered projects.

“The global community is increasingly recognizing the imperative for action as we combat the extraordinary challenge of worldwide climate change,” says Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair of the USGBC. “LEED’s success in Canada represents not only a growing recognition of its demonstrated benefits for human health and operational cost savings, but also its unparalleled potential to be part of the solution to a warming planet and rising sea levels.”

Some notable Canadian projects that are LEED-certified include:

• 100 Wellington Street West Tower at the Dominion Centre in Toronto: LEED Platinum
• Maison du développement durable in Montreal: LEED Platinum
• Efficiency Nova Scotia office in Dartmouth: LEED Platinum
• University of Northern British Columbia Bioenergy Plant in Prince George: LEED Platinum
• Westmount School in Calgary: LEED Gold

Other top performing countries include China, India, Germany and Brazil.