The Walter E. Washington Convention Center awarded prestigious LEED Platinum Green Building Certification

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Walter E. Washington Convention Center announced that it has been awarded LEED Platinum. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the most widely used green building rating system in the world and an international symbol of excellence. Through design, construction and operations practices that improve environmental and human health, LEED-certified buildings are helping to make the world more sustainable.

“Achieving LEED Platinum took a lot of hard work, but we strive to be the greatest Convention Center in the world and have the highest quality of service for our customers,” said Events DC
President and CEO Angie M. Gates. “I am thrilled to add our LEED Platinum certification to the city’s roster and make Washington, DC a leader in LEED-certified spaces. I thank the Events DC team for working tirelessly to execute on our commitment to sustainability and excellence.”

The Walter E. Washington Convention Center achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies and solutions in areas including sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. Green buildings allow companies to operate more sustainably and give the people inside them a healthier, more comfortable space to work.

For example, the Convention Center reduced its energy use by 25,306,767 kBtu – equivalent to removing approximately 440 cars from the road for a year – by upgrading its lighting, heating
and cooling systems and other efficiencies. With newly integrated water efficiencies throughout the facility, water consumption was reduced by 3,790,000 gallons, enough to fill about six
Olympic-sized swimming pools.

“LEED certification is the ultimate recognition of global green building leadership, signaling that a space has undergone rigorous third-party verification and meets the highest green building
standards,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “The success of LEED is due to the partnership and support of those committed to advancing green building and sustainability.
Each new LEED certification brings us one step closer to revolutionizing the spaces where we live, learn, work and play.”

Certification is proof that buildings are going above and beyond to ensure the space is constructed and operated to the highest level of sustainability. More than 197,000 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising of more than two million certified square feet per day in all 50 states and more than 186 countries and territories.

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