WASHINGTON — The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it has reached a new milestone with the issuance of the 20,000th Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for a commercial project.

USGBC’s Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) certified the offices and staff services space in the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) plant in Knoxville, Tenn., under LEED for Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI).

“The 20,000th LEED certification belongs to an organization that shares our social and environmental values, and we applaud GMCR on its accomplishment,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO, and founding chair, USGBC. "This is an important milestone in our mission to drive market transformation in the built environment to practices that make healthy, high-performing buildings a fact of life.

“We’ve shown that LEED works, and the companies and organizations that use LEED set a high bar for leadership,” he continued. “But there is much work to be done, and even as we mark this milestone, we’re completing the launch of the next version of the rating system that will drive building performance to the next level.”

GMCR’s Knoxville plant is the company’s seventh LEED-certified facility. Sustainable features of the Knoxville project include a high-efficiency HVAC system and water-efficient plumbing fixtures that result in a 32 percent reduction in water use. Recycled content totals more than 24 percent of all building materials, work stations and seating, while a quarter of all building materials were harvested or manufactured within 500 miles of the project. The project also features high-efficiency lighting fixtures, daylighting and lighting controls, and renewable power sources generate more than 50 percent of the required power.

“One of our company goals is to transform the way the world understands business,” said Jason King, senior director of facilities and engineering at GMCR. “The passion we bring to creating great coffee is the same passion we put toward energy efficiency and environmental responsibility. We are proud to play a part in the green building movement because it closely aligns with our corporate values.”

For more information about the U.S. Green Building Council and LEED, visit www.usgbc.org.

Publication date: 1/6/2014

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