KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City has earned a new certification for its sustainability achievements.

City leaders celebrated Tuesday after earning a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Kansas City now joins a list of dozens of U.S. cities and communities — including Johnson County, Lawrence and Wichita, Kansas; and Columbia and St. Louis, Missouri — that are using LEED’s framework to improve sustainability performance.

LEED’s system helps local leaders create responsible, sustainable plans for energy, water, waste, transportation and more.

Kansas City has taken several steps in recent years to achieve this certification and other climate goals, including passing a Climate Action Plan in 2022 to reduce carbon emissions.

Additionally, new city-owned buildings have been required to be LEED-certified since 2004. In 2011, the city upped the standard to LEED Gold certification for all new city buildings.

Earlier this year, Kansas City’s new airport terminal also earned its LEED Gold certification, showing the terminal meets certain standards, including energy-efficiency and that it’s eco-conscious.

It’s the first airport project in the Midwest, and just the second in the United States, to achieve the certification, according to the USGBC.