America has recently reached a milestone of 20,000 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) homes, with 1,262 of those located in New York State.

Our Blueprint for a Greener Westchester is chock full of policy recommendations to improve energy efficiency.But among Westchester homeowners, achieving LEED-certification does not seem to be a priority. Although it's one of the ten wealthiest counties in the country, the total number of LEED-certified homes in Westchester is ... two.

Some attribute the county's lag in LEED-ership to the already high costs of land and construction there. A contractor in the region, Michael Murphy, explained that homeowners who are building a new house or renovating an existing one might pick and choose green innovations that offer a relatively quick payback on their investment -- such as energy-efficient windows, foam insulation, and geothermal heating and cooling systems -- but costlier or bolder green modules, such as solar panels, usually don't make the cut.

Ornate roof styles may also deter residents from wanting to install solar panel systems. Doug Hertz of Sunrise Solar Solutions believes that the prevailing attitude towards rooftop photovoltaics is that they're "expensive and ugly." Said contractor Rex Gedney, "It's not that residents are against LEED or energy conservation in general, but they're choosing to build their house with materials that suit their particular tastes."

There are a number of steps local elected officials can take to help Westchester improve its energy efficiency. For some ideas, check out NYLCV's Blueprint for a Greener Westchester.