Recognitions and Partnerships
Orange County has been dedicated to sustainable practices for more than a decade through strong partnerships. As a result, the County receives many awards and recognitions for its outstanding and innovative work.
Orange County is currently working toward a LEED for cities certification
through attaining more sustainable practices and ensuring the resilience
of practices already instilled in the County.
Orange County has been a partner with ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability USA since 2005 allowing for a
decade of greenhouse gas inventories and a bold vision for climate action in our community. This partnership has expanded to build inventories across local and regional governments as part of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council Regional Resilience Collaborative.
Through the years, Orange County has teamed with Energy Star to bring energy efficiency to buildings, business, and residents throughout our community.
Orange County first achieved Green Local Government, GOLD-Level designation in 2008 from the Florida Green Building Coalition. In 2016, the County was recertified. Watch for new information about 2021 efforts!
Orange County was awarded the SolSmart - Gold designation in 2018 after creating an online permitting checklist, reviewing local zoning codes, allowing solar by-right accessory use in all zones, cross-training both inspection and permitting staff on solar PV, providing a streamlined permitting pathway for small PV systems, and creating a streamlined process to approve certain solar permit applications over the counter.
The Orange County Convention Center receives many accreditations including the GBAC STAR accreditation for safe venues, the ISO 14001 for environmental management and the LEED O+M for Existing Buildings GOLD certification. It’s also an award-winning Convention Center, winning the 2020 Convention South Reader’s Choice Award, the 2020 USGBC Rise to the Challenge Award for “Commitment to Sustainability”, the Central Florida Energy Star "Battle of the Buildings" in 2018, and the USGBC Central Florida Region LEEDership Awards for "Outstanding Sustainable Program: Center-to-Table Gardens in 2017.
Orange County was awarded the Government Best Practices Award for our Recycling Quality Improvement Program. “The goal of the program is to increase the amount of material being processed at recycling facilities by removing plastic bags and other non-recyclables from curbside recycling carts.” Read more about this award and learn more about our recycling improvements as well.