Balboa Park Achieves LEED for Communities Certification!

Since 2012, SDGBC volunteers and staff have been working with Balboa Park through the Green Assistance Program (GAP) to achieve LEED certification for museums throughout the Park. GAP is a way for SDGBC community members to get hands-on experience on LEED projects and receive continuing education units for their LEED credential.

Through the GAP program, Balboa Park is the First National Historic Landmark District to achieve a LEED for Cities & Communities certification and the first LEED v4.1 Certified community in California. These firsts are a testament to the efforts of 15 SDGBC community volunteers, staff from the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership and SDGBC staff. Even during a pandemic and being completely virtual, SDGBC volunteers along with our partners were able to accomplish this important achievement.

In partnership with BPCP, City of San Diego, SDG&E, the Zoo and a number of waste haulers in San Diego, the project team was able to track important environmental metrics for this project to achieve certification. Project team was able to track: GHG emissions, preservation of natural ecosystems, waste generation and diversion, water consumption, yearly VMT and quality of life metrics. Of these metrics, the project scored very well in energy and GHG emissions with a score of 17/18 and low yearly VMT with a score of 6/6.

“We helped showcase the sustainability efforts of the separate entities within Balboa Park and of the overall park itself.  With the LEED for Communities certification, Balboa Park has a blueprint for how to continuously improve the park’s efforts in sustainability. 

Balboa Park is a jewel that San Diegans treasure and visitors to San Diego come to know and love.  The park will now be known across California and across the country as a shining example of how to make our communities and public spaces more sustainable starting in the present and carrying into the future.” – Vanita Murthy (GAP volunteer)

Thank you to our dedicated volunteers and community members who made this achievement possible.

Check out the video below!