Babcock Ranch Honored With Edison Award for Innovation

Babcock Ranch is often celebrated for its uniqueness, and now it’s being rewarded with some top honors for its design. The sustainable community recently received a major accolade at the Edison Awards.

The competition honors the world’s top entrepreneurs and innovators. The Babcock Ranch community received the top prize for the category of sustainability.

Named in tribute to inventor Thomas Edison, the solar-powered master community was one of more than 130 companies nominated for an Edison Best Product Award. In all, there were 14 main categories under consideration.

As for Babcock Ranch, the community’s prize comes from being a “Game Changer” in sustainability. Not only is preservation and low-energy part of the community’s design, but it also boasts its own solar field spread across hundreds of acres of property.

All buildings and homes in the community have to meet Florida Green Building Coalition standards. In fact, the community claims to be the very first new town to be designed from the ground up with sustainability being a major part of its design.

Recently, those taking part in an innovators Forum hosted by Babcock Ranch were given the opportunity to get a closer look at some of its sites, including the Babcock Ranch Solar Energy Center and the Babcock Neighborhood School. In addition, the sustainable community of Babcock Ranch boasts things like hiking trails, space for kayaking and canoeing on Lake Babcock, community gardens and playgrounds.

The town is also home to Founder’s Square, which serves as a gathering place for residents along Lake Babcock. You’ll find a health and wellness facility, a boardwalk, an ice cream shop and co-working space.

Planned for up to 50,000 residents, Babcock Ranch is already home to more than 2,300 people. Eventually, the community will include more than 19,000 homes and millions of square feet of commercial and community space.