November 27, 2002—American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was awarded the Gold Leadership in Environmental Energy Design (LEED) rating by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the nation’s coalition for the advancement of buildings that are environmentally responsible, for its Northwest Regional facility. Gold rating is the second highest LEED rating and only three previously registered buildings in the U.S. have received this distinction.
American Honda senior executives, representatives from local firms who assisted in the design and construction of the facility, Oregon’s environmental community and local elected officials were on hand as Christine Ervin, president of the USGBC, presented Honda with the Gold LEED award for its environmental achievements.
The 212,888 sq. ft. warehouse, training center and zone office is currently the largest mixed-use facility to obtain a Gold rating. Honda’s Gresham facility demonstrates that a commercial building can be environmentally friendly, and energy efficient while supporting normal business activities.
Opened in October 2001, the facility utilizes environmentally friendly products in virtually every aspect of the building’s design, construction and operation—from its lighting, heating, flooring, bathroom tiles and wall finishes to exterior landscaping. Examples of sustainable products used in the Northwest Regional Facility include:
- A rainwater collection system that gathers accumulated rainwater on the roof and funnels it into a 90,000-gallon storage tank for on-site use. This “gray-water” irrigates the facility’s landscaping and provides water for toilets.
- Hallway flooring is made from recycled automobile tires and office flooring is made from 100% recycled and recyclable carpet fiber and backing.
- Conference room wall coverings made from recycled telephone books and conference room tables made from compressed sunflower seeds.
Honda’s ‘Green Factory’ program has been in place since 1997 in manufacturing facilities worldwide to improve waste disposal, reduce factory emissions and cut energy use.
The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a feature-oriented rating system where credits are earned for satisfying specified green building criteria. The five major environmental categories of review include: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified Silver, Gold and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on total credits earned.
