Climate Changed

The Offices Are Greener in Chicago for a Second Straight Year

Environment-friendly features keep city ranked No. 1 in study
New Salesforce Tower could put San Francisco on top again

The city skyline stands in the background of trees in Lincoln Park in Chicago, Illinois.
Photographer: John Zich/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Emily Chasan

August 22, 2018 at 12:15 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Chicago is the greenest U.S. city to work in for the second year running, with about 70 percent of its office space now certified for environmental efficiency, a new study shows.

The Windy City’s percentage of green offices is up from about 66 percent last year, placing it ahead of San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Minneapolis/St. Paul, according to an annual ranking by CBRE Group Inc. and Maastricht University. The study tracks buildings in 30 of the biggest U.S. real estate markets that are LEED or Energy Star certified.