WASHINGTON - Colorado is ranked third on the U.S. Green Building Council's list of the top 10 states for LEED certifications in 2012, according to a report released Wednesday.

The list is based on square footage certified per capita. LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, consists of a set of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods.

Colorado certified 2.10 square feet per resident last year, ranked behind Virginia, with 3.71 square feet, and in front of Massachusetts, with 2.05 square feet. The District of Columbia was ranked No. 1, with 36.9 square feet per capita.

Colorado had 99 projects certified in 2012, covering about 10.5 million square feet.

Notable projects that were certified in 2012 in Colorado included the University of Colorado-Boulder's Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building, which received platinum LEED certification, and Red Hawk Elementary School in Erie, which won a gold certification.

Ten other projects in Boulder and Broomfield counties were certified last year, according to the report. Five of those were completed by CU-Boulder: a basketball and volleyball arena, the Center for Community, Smith Hall, the CU Institute of Behavioral Science and an addition for the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, or JILA.

The other five were the Eos office building in Broomfield, the Kohl's department store in Louisville, Wells Fargo's branch at 1960 28th St. in Boulder, Google Boulder and the University Center for Atmospheric Research Applications Laboratory in Boulder.

Several projects with ZIP codes in Boulder and Broomfield counties were on the list, but were not identified, listed only as "confidential."

"Securing a spot on this list is a remarkable achievement for everyone involved in the green-building movement in Colorado," said Rick Fedrizzi, president and chief execute of the U.S. Green Building Guild. "From architects and designers to local chapter advocates, their collective efforts have brought sustainable building design and use to the forefront of Colorado's discussion on the environment, and I applaud their efforts to create a healthier present and future for the people of Colorado."

States rounding out the top 10 are Illinois, Maryland, New York, Washington, California and Texas. California had the most projects, 540.