Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley To Receive Legacy Award for His Sustainable City

Who is the recipient of the inaugural Mayor Richard M. Daley Legacy Award for Global Leadership in Creating Sustainable Cities?  It’s none other than retiring Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley himself.

Writing in the Chicago Tribune, architecture critic Blair Kamin said “Chicago’s lame-duck mayor, famous for his green thumb and his iron fist, will receive the award at the annual Greenbuild conference in Chicago this November, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced.”

The Greenbuild Conference & Expo will be held in Chicago at McCormick Place West November 17 – 19.  Roger Platt, Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Law for the USGBC, said “USGBC is incredibly honored to be part of Mayor Daley’s legacy as a world leader in demonstrating how a nurturing and sustainable city can be the highest service to a community.  This award is in recognition of the Mayor’s visionary and planet-changing leadership that has created the amazing legacy of a green city.  We are looking forward to bringing our Greenbuild conference back to one of the world’s most sustainable cities.”

Chicago holds the honor of being one of the first cities in the United States to adopt LEED certification for its public buildings.  Additionally, the city boasts the largest number of LEED-certified buildings in the nation.  “During Daley’s 21-year reign as mayor, according to city officials, Chicago has planted more than 600,000 trees, constructed more than 85 miles of landscaped medians and built more than seven million SF of planted roofs – more than any other city in America,” Kamin said.