U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Awards LEED® Silver Certification SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The California Department of General Services (DGS) announced today that the California Department of Rehabilitation’s headquarters in Sacramento has become the first State building to be awarded green building certification after undergoing a major renovation. To mark the achievement, a USGBC plaque designating the Department of Rehabilitation Building as "LEED-New Construction Silver" (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was unveiled today at the 721 Capitol Mall building during a ceremony for the building’s employees. The USGBC is the nation's foremost coalition of building industry leaders working to promote buildings that are energy-efficient, environmentally responsible, healthy places within which to work and conduct business. “Building green saves energy, conserves resources and helps us meet the ambitious goals Governor Schwarzenegger laid out for us when he signed the Global Warming Solutions Act and established his Green Building Initiative,” said State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Rosario Marin. “I’m excited that our march to green State buildings continues today in this historic building along Capitol Mall in the shadow of our State Capitol. DGS is committed to continuing the push to increase energy efficiency throughout all State buildings,” said DGS Director Will Bush. Governor Schwarzenegger’s Green Building Initiative (Executive Order S-20-04) directs state agencies to reduce California's energy use at State-owned buildings 20 percent by 2015, while also reducing the impact State buildings have on climate change. His executive order also directs that state buildings like this one, and all future state construction and major renovation projects, should meet a minimum of LEED Silver certification in order to save energy, conserve water, divert waste from landfills and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
