July 19, 2006—Two out of 16 winners of the 2006 Closing the Circle Awards are Gold-certified under the US Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System, says the USGBC.
The awards, administered by the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), recognize outstanding environmental stewardship of federal employees and their facilities. They acknowledge superior performance in several categories including waste prevention, recycling and green purchasing activities. Building 850, at the Naval Base of Ventura County in Port Hueneme, Cal., and the National Park Service (NPS) Midwest Regional Office in Omaha, Neb., were winners in the green/sustainable buildings awards category, and both are LEED-certified.
Building 850, the Naval Base of Ventura County, is the Navy’s first LEED Gold rated building and serves as an “Energy Showcase” facility, demonstrating new concepts in energy efficiency and “green” building principles to both resident staff (Naval Base Ventura County Public Works Department) and neighboring communities. The project included a 10,000 square-foot renovation and a 7,000 square-foot addition and was LEED certified in 2005.
The NPS Midwest Office Headquarters was LEED Gold certified in 2005. Sustainable design and construction techniques included the use of native plants for landscaping; dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals; daylighting which utilizes energy 30% more efficiently than the former headquarters; and an extensive building-wide recycling initiative to recycle batteries and cell phones.
The US Green Building Council is the nation’s leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the guideline for sustainable building. For more information, visit the USGBC Web site.
