USGBC announced Tuesday that 23 countries have certified their first LEED project or their first LEED v4 Platinum building, as represented in USGBC’s ongoing LEED Earth campaign, which is designed to accelerate the uptake of green building and LEED throughout the world.

“Every story about LEED is a story of leadership,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, chief operating officer of USGBC and president of GBCI. “LEED is the premier global rating system for making sure that buildings are designed, constructed and operated so that they save energy, water and precious resources, reduce waste and carbon emissions and provide healthier environments for the people who use these buildings every day.”

LEED Earth is a campaign that offers certification at no cost to the first project to earn LEED in the countries where the rating system is still emerging. The campaign also offers free certification for the first LEED Platinum project in any country to certify using the newest version of LEED.

Countries with their first LEED certifications as part of the LEED Earth program include Burundi, Croatia, Ecuador, Honduras, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Pakistan, Serbia, South Sudan, Ukraine, Tanzania, Bolivia, Lithuania, Dominican Republic, Kenya, Ghana, Myanmar and Venezuela. India, China, Mexico and Canada achieved their first LEED v4 Platinum buildings as part of the program.

“There are 160 countries and territories currently using LEED,” added Ramanujam. “LEED Earth has become a catalyst for other countries where green building is not as prevalent and is an important first step in changing the course of building practice to one that is more sustainable and for markets that are more advanced in this space. We congratulate each country on its leadership. LEED on!”

Further details of the campaign may be found at go.usgbc.org/leed-earth.html.