Sustainability

Balboa Park, the historic heart of San Diego, serves as a beautiful refuge for wildlife, a host for a variety of outdoor recreational activities for visitors and residents, and is a destination rich with arts, science and culture experiences. While it’s true that the operation of buildings can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through energy and water use, waste production, occupant transportation, and purchasing practices, years of contributions and maintenance efforts by multiple Park stakeholders have elevated Balboa Park as an exemplar of environmental sustainability.

The Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, in collaboration with its member organizations, the City of San Diego, and San Diego Gas & Electric, has led the Park’s centennial legacy of certifying 10 buildings as LEED venues in Balboa Park, with certification efforts beginning in 2009. LEED® – an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is the preeminent and internationally known program for the design, construction, maintenance, and operations of high-performance green buildings. The pinnacle of LEED certifications was obtained in January of 2021, with the Balboa Park Cultural District earning a LEED for Communities designation, recognizing the combined conservation efforts of all partners.

In addition to LEED certification, the Cultural Partnership, along with its partners and the San Diego Green Building Council and their Green Assistance Program volunteers, continues to establish and evolve sustainable policies and practices within building operations and maintenance across Balboa Park. As a result, over 100 water retrofit and energy efficiency projects have been completed since 2009, helping reduce 5,139 metric tons of carbon dioxide equal to greenhouse gas emissions from 1,091 passenger vehicles driven for a year.

Maintaining third-party verification by the U.S. Green Building Council demonstrates the Cultural Partnership, its members, the City of San Diego, and San Diego Gas & Electric are committed to preserving Balboa Park and its resources for many centuries to come.

For more information about the 10 LEED-certified buildings in Balboa Park and other park-wide sustainability efforts, visit the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership’s website.

Our LEED Certified buildings include:

Casa de Balboa

San Diego Museum of Us

Casa del Prado

Federal Building (Comic-Con Museum)

Fleet Science Center

House of Charm

The Old Globe

WorldBeat Cultural Center

Japanese Friendship Garden: Inamori Pavilion

San Diego Natural History Museum

LEED®, and its related logo, is a trademark owned by the U.S. Green Building Council® and is used with permission.

Learn more about the 10 unique LEED certified venues in Balboa through the LEED video series on Balboa Park TV YouTube channel.

Watch the announcement video for the Cultural District earning the LEED for Communities designation.